


Seeing The Light

by BarnaboysWilloughby (SheriffsLop)



Series: The Momma! Jane and Poppa! Tim AU !! [4]
Category: The Willoughbys (2020)
Genre: A. is an advid pot smoker, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Anxiety, Cancer, Coming to terms with aging, Crushes, Dress shopping, Everything's not what it seems, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Family Angst, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Father-Son Relationship, Flashbacks, Foul Mouthed Teens, Found Family, Future Fic, Golden Years, Growing Old Together, Growing Up, Healthy Relationships, High School, High School Drama, Homecoming, Implied/Referenced Prostitution, Jealousy, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Makeovers, Marijuana, Mentions of Cancer, Mid-life Crisis, Momma! Jane and Poppa! Tim AU !!, Multi, Music, Nanny is a good mom, Obligatory Teen Movie ' Nerd Character is Hot ' Moment, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Teen Angst, Teen Crisis, Teen Romance, Teenagers, The Willoughby Family is huge, Theatre, Theatre productions, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Underage Smoking, Unhealthy Relationships, Weed Smoking, bathroom graffiti, feeling pretty, getiing older, high school theatre, homecoming dresses, innuendos, irresponsible parenting, teen relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:42:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28474119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheriffsLop/pseuds/BarnaboysWilloughby
Relationships: Barnaby A Willoughby/Original Female Character(s), Barnaby B Willoughby/Original Female Character(s) (Referenced/Past), Jane Willoughby & Tim Willoughby, Linda | Nanny & Jane Willoughby, Linda | Nanny/Commander Melanoff (The Willoughbys), Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Ruth/Original Charcter, Tim Willoughby/Original Female Characters (Past)
Series: The Momma! Jane and Poppa! Tim AU !! [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1961206
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Eau De Résistance

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕆𝕟𝕖 :

𝔼𝕒𝕦 𝔻𝕖 ℝ𝕖́𝕤𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖

◟ ◞

“So, how did that  sound ? ” Taffeta asked.

“It would’ve sounded better if Shane’s dumb voice wasn’t singing it,” Kyle teased.

“Shut up, bro,” Shane said. “How did it sound to the not stupid people ?”

“I felt like your singing was a little flat,”  MacKenzie critiqued.

“Like your  chest ? ” Shane asked.

“I can’t help it, I’m just built different; momma said so !!” MacKenzie exclaimed. “And aren’t you supposed to be a  boy ? Why do you have boobs,  Shane ? ”

“It’s fun to give people really confusing boners !!” Shane defended. 

“Like you’d know anything about that, MacKenzie,” Kyle added.

“If it matters, and I’m saying this so we can stop talking about boners in front of a bunch of lovely ladies,” Billie redirected ( And Phoebe followed with a  desparate ‘please’ ). “I thought it sounded great !!”

“You think everything sounds great,” Diane pointed out.

She scoffed and flipped her pink bangs out of her face.

“Sometimes I wonder how I’m related to you people,” she sighed. “I wish mom would’ve taken me with her to Paris.”

“She might be back someday, Dee,” Billie claimed. “Dad said she’s only going to be gone for a little while – an art exhibition.”

“Well, why did she – I'm sorry for interrupting – why did  she . . .” Patrick paused for a moment to regain his composure. “Why did she go to an art exhibition in Paris but not take any of her  paintings ? It doesn’t make any sense,  and . . .  nevermind , sorry. I’ll stop talking.”

“Look guys, is there anything specific you guys can tell us ?” Taffeta asked. “We invited you to be our test audience because we want to know if we’re going to be good enough to try out for the end of year talent show.”

“This would be a huge deal for us,” Phoebe insisted. “We get to play in front of the entire school, and show everyone what we can do, but we need to know if there’s anything we can improve before we tryout and make a fool out of ourselves in front of Missus Chu and Mister Langford.”

“I know it won’t be hard to impress Missus Chu, she’s all about kids having their ‘creative freedom’ - without her, our school wouldn’t be able to do theatre plays like our spring production of ‘Chicago’ our sophomore year,” Anya pointed out. “Like, did you see Alice Sanchez as Roxie ?  Sssmokin ’.”

Phoebe felt a blush rise  to her face as she hooked a piece of her hair behind her ear and looked away from Anya, as she squeezed her bass tighter towards her chest.

“Yeah, Alice,” she muttered to herself. “Pretty, short Latina Alice that’s on the track team. That  Alice ? ”

“Yeah, are there . . . other  Alices ? ” Anya asked.

“Forget about that, we have to worry about Mister Langford,” Taffeta commented. “He already has Sophie in his class and I know he plays favorites – if Sophie, Whitney, and Katsuki try out as a three woman dance act, they’ll be cast in for sure.”

“Are you sure this is about spreading your music more than it is being able to beat Whitney and rub it in her  face ? ” Diana asked.

“ Of course it’s about being able to  spread our music !!” Taffeta defended. “. . . Kicking Whitney’s ass is just a bonus.”

The garage door opened, and Tim poked his head out to see that all the Willoughby cousins, Anya, and Phoebe had finished their jam session.

“Hey, dinner’s ready,” he said. “Want me to bring it all out to you guys? It’s boneless wings, potato skins, celery sticks -”

“Is that even a question ?” Shane asked. “Please !!”

Tim nodded before he went back inside.

Taffeta set her guitar against the wall before she put her hand on the controller of her wheelchair, and spun around back to the door. She opened the door, before went past everyone in the living room and joined Tim in the kitchen.

“I can help you take those out there,” she offered. “I know it’s a lot of plates.”

“Here, you carry these ones,” he said.

He set two paper plates on her lap, while he carried out the others, they both disappeared back into the garage, and that allowed for Jane, Patience, A., and B. to continue their conversation.

“Well, mom went through her first round of chemo last week,” A. claimed.

“I can’t believe she has cancer,” Jane sighed.

“Well, look on the bright side, she says she’s doin’ well, her spirits are high,” Patience soothed. “She has a fightin’ chance of it going into remission too, and y’all’s mom is a strong one.”

“I just wish I could go home and have someone to talk to about it,” B. claimed. “Ever since Sabrina left a few months ago, it’s just been me and the kids – I can’t keep lying to them. Every time I try to call her, she never picks up the phone.”

“I hate to be the bad guy, but I don’t think she’s ever going to answer,” A. said. “She ducked and left. Who’s to say she didn’t already start a life over in  France ?”

“But she left her  **_ kids _ ** ,” B. insisted. “What kind of mom leaves her  **_ kids  _ ** behind ? ”

“I really expected more out of her,” Patience agreed. “But, to be fair, Sabrina wasn’t a fan of the steady life. Never really was.”

“I mean, I wasn’t either,” Jane interjected. “But, once you see the little face of your child, how could you just desert them like  that ? ”

“If I were you, I’d tell Billie, Diana, and Patrick soon,” A. claimed. “I know it’s going to hurt, but it’s going to hurt more if they figure it out on their own.”

His twin simply sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, before he slid his glasses up to his  receding hairline. 

“I don’t want to be an adult anymore,” B. claimed.

“That’s something we can agree on,” Jane sighed.

“I don’t actually mind getting' older,” Patience disagreed. “I feel like agin’ adds character and -”

“But you’re pretty !!” Jane exclaimed. “I’m getting hot flashes, I’m exhausted all the time, I ‘m starting to get wrinkles and smile lines. I look old.”

The garage door opened and Tim was greeted with Patience holding Jane and soothing her while she cried, before he rushed to her side and held her too.

“What happened ?” he asked.

“Menopause,” A. answered.

“Shut up !!” Jane cried.

Patience nodded in agreement with her husband, before she ran her fingers through Jane’s hair, and shushed her like she would a baby. 

He pulled Jane away from Patience, before he helped her dry her tears.

“What’s wrong ?” he asked.

“N - Nothing,” she sniffed. “It’s dumb.”

“Are you sure ?” he asked.

She nodded and leaned on him.

“How are the kids  doing ? ” B. asked.

“They’re watching Taffeta, Shane, Phoebe, and Anya play music,” Tim answered. “ But, now they’ve been fed. Speaking of fed, are you guys  hungry ? Potato  skins ? Wings ? Celery ?”

“That sounds great,” Patience answered. “I’ve been gettin' hungry.”

“ Hungry ? ” A. asked. “My stomach is eating itself – please, I’m starving !!”

Tim got up from the couch and squeezed Jane’s hand as a subtle way of telling her to follow him while he served everyone’s dinner.

She got up and followed him to the kitchen as he grabbed the plates and brought them next to the stove, where he used tongs to pick up the wings and potato skins to put on the plates.

“Now what’s really going  on ? ” he whispered.

“It’s nothing,” she huffed. “Let’s just get food to everyone.”

“It’s not nothing,” he claimed. “If it’s bothering you to the point of crying, it has to mean something to you. What’s happening ?”

“Taffeta’s in her last year of high school, and you’re the C.F.O at  Melanoff’s , and it’s like my business can nearly run without me, I’m only there once or twice a week,” Jane started. “I don’t . . . things are just zooming by us and I don’t know how to feel about it.”

He furrowed his eyebrows as he plated the food on the plates. He didn’t quite understand why she was so upset with the future. The future only brought new opportunities, it was only another adventure, and for such an adventurous person, she seemed so scared of what this new adventure would be.

“One thing I heard back when I was in high school, before I’d do any speeches on behalf of the council,” he started. “’If you aren’t scared, you aren’t doing it right.’.”

She furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head.

“Maybe fear is  just . . . misguided excitement, or you can convince your fear to be that,” he explained. “Fear, excitement, they’re both just adrenaline rushes.”

“Then why don’t you ever get on waterslides, or  rollercoasters ? ” she asked.

“Puking is where I draw the line,” he teased. “But, really, don’t worry so much about the future – of course, it’s going to come, but the entire future isn’t coming tomorrow.”

He picked up two of the plates, before he walked to Jane and planted a small kiss on her forehead.

“Relax, enjoy the now, honey,” he soothed.

She managed to smile, before her smile quickly fell after he left. It seemed like everything was changing every day. She was at home almost all the time, and it hurt to go and visit Nanny and  Melanoff when she had to see Nanny, her mom, with a heart printed scarf around her newly bald head, while she coughed and hacked, even though she did everything with a chipper demeanor and positive attitude. Being at home all the time got to her. Her life felt like this endless loop.

She shook her head and disappeared out the garage door and into where the kids are sitting. She smiled as she saw Taffeta with her friends, and the rest of the Willoughby kids in the folding chairs that they brought out during block parties or cookouts. She flipped out another one next to  MacKenzie and smiled.

“What’s going on, gang ?” she asked.

“We’re working on our music so we can try out for the school’s talent show in March,” Taffeta explained. “It’s . . . not going well.”

“Well, can you play it for me ?” Jane asked. “I can be part of your audience !!”

“Nah, we’re planning on stopping for today,” Taffeta claimed. “We have to eat too, you  know ? ”

“O - Oh . . . yeah,” Jane agreed.

“I mean, we are having problems with the lyrics,” Taffeta admitted. “It seems like nothing we’ve written is sticking and making a good song.”

“I still think mine was a good song,” Anya claimed. “I mean, it’s a good verse for a song. I wrote it on the back of my calculus test before Miss  Trevinsky made me have lunch detention for ‘doodling on my paper’ again.”

Phoebe flipped her bangs from her face, and blew upwards to keep hem perched upon her forehead.

“Yeah, Miss  Trevinsky’s a  biiii . . .” Phoebe stopped herself, as she realized she was about to say ‘bitch’ right in front of Jane. “A dried up, old stick in the mud.”

“Was it a bubble  sheet ? ” Diana asked.

“Who cares if it’s a bubble  sheet ? ” Anya argued.

“The test doesn’t read right if you write on a bubble sheet,” Patrick commented. “It picks up the semi - filled bubbles as unfinished answers and . . . sorry, I’ll stop.”

“We sing together all the time,  Taff ,” Jane mentioned. “I wouldn’t mind if you used one of our songs as a song for the talent show.”

“You might as well put a pacifier back in her mouth if you want her to sing that baby crap, Aunt Jane,” Kyle teased.

MacKenzie promptly elbowed him in the side, much like Patience would do if one of them was out of line.

“Knock it off, Kyle,” Shane scolded. “You have to be respectful to her, she is one of our elders. Mom  woulda jerked a knot in your tail !!”

“Jeez, fine, sorry,” Kyle groaned.

“They’re not baby songs,” Jane insisted  ( though her tone was less than  confident ) . “They’re songs with both of our emotions, combined into one.”

“Sounds like a baby song to me,” Diana deadpanned.

“Okay, that’s enough, guys,” Taffeta scolded. “But, we  uhm . . . we want to do something  _ original _ , that’s more . . .  _ us  _ ? ”

Jane forced a smile and an ‘understanding’ nod.

“ I . . . I see,” she said. “Well,  yes . . . e – every artist needs room to grow.”

“I knew you’d get it !!” Taffeta exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Jane responded.

She picked up the folding chair and folded it back up, before she went back inside, rather quickly, in order to ‘leave the kids to expand upon their art’.

“Is there something going on with your  mom ? ” Phoebe asked.

“She’s getting old,” Kyle answered. “Women get all moody and upset when they’re old, or something like that. It’s like a second period.”

“She’s at the age where she could be going through menopause,” Diana corrected. “That means she doesn’t  **_ get  _ ** periods anymore.”

“Guys, be nice,” Taffeta scolded. “Sure, my parents are in their forties, but they’re not old.”

“Yeah, my dad’s almost sixty. That’s old,” Anya laughed. “Never would I have thought I’d see the day, where my dad didn’t want to go out and do things, and would rather watch ‘Cash Money Wheel’ while eating hard caramels.”

“Aging affects people differently,” Phoebe exclaimed. “My mom’s been getting  botox and liposuction just so she can stay relevant in the modeling world, and it’s really stressing her out. However, my dad’s doing just fine, and he’s even growing a beard.”

“Yeah, well, your dad’s a cool old person,” Shane pointed out. “Never have I ever seen someone in their forties, rocking gages and tattoos that aren’t inherently kind of racist.”

“My parents are pretty cool, you know, for being their  age ? ” Taffeta claimed. “My mom still knows how to use Pictogram, she gets how emojis work, my dad is getting the hang of slang.”

“Oh, please, your parents are so uncool,” Kyle disagreed. “Your dad has a diary and your mom was just  recommending you sing baby songs for the talent show.”

“Well, it’s not like our parents are cool,”  MacKenzie pointed out. “Mom texted me ‘YOLO’ and a cat picture when I went out to the mall with Mona and Allison and then told me to tell my friends to have a ‘ wack ’ time.”

“Well, at least, we’re not scared to admit our parents are boring,” Kyle said. “Taffeta’s in denial.”

“Classic denial,” Diana agreed.

“Come on, guys,” Patrick whined. “Taffeta loves her parents and there’s nothing wrong with that – we love our parents.”

“Yeah, Patrick has a point,” Billie agreed. “It’s pretty  mean to sit over here and be hard on Taffeta and Aunt Jane for them being who they are.”

“At least we can admit our parents aren’t cool,” Kyle argued.

“And not everyone likes their parents,” Diana added. “We need to stop pretending like Sabrina’s a good mom. Every chance she  got, she’d leave us with dad -”

“Okay, stop !!” Taffeta scolded. “Jam session over !!”

All the Willoughby cousins went silent as they looked back up at Taffeta.

“W - We should probably get ready to pack up our stuff anyways,” Taffeta excused. “I have a government quiz I should be studying for.”

“Mister Scott already assigned us an English report, and it’s the first week of school,” Anya agreed. “I haven’t even picked up my copy of ‘Grapes  Of Wrath’.”

“Yeah, and I’ve heard that Missus Klein can and will do random, unannounced pop quizzes,” Phoebe asked. “I wish I’d taken that gifted chemistry class back in middle school, so then I wouldn’t have to take chemistry this year – I could have a free period to go to Ham Bros. and bring us back lunch.”

“You act like the school lunch is bad,” Shane commented. “I always ask for the coffee mush from the coffee machines from our little café bar, and that’s really good !!”

Phoebe furrowed her eyebrows and squinted.

“You eat the coffee grounds ?” she asked.

“Add sugar and it tastes great !!” Kyle agreed.

“Coffee mush,” Shane confirmed.

Taffeta simply sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, before she used the joystick of her wheelchair to bring herself back inside, where it seemed that everyone ( with the exception of Jane, who was nowhere to be found in the dining room ) was finishing up dinner and saying their goodbyes.

“Oh, are you done with your jam  sesh ?” Tim asked.

“Yeah, we’re going to have to keep working on it,” Taffeta sighed. “Is everyone  leaving ? ”

“Yeah, sweetheart, we’d rather be at home so everyone can get to bed on time,” Patience answered.

“It’s not like they will be,” A. added. “I told you it was a bad idea to let Kyle keep his  GamerBox in his room, he’s going to be up until three in the morning.”

“Well, he’s still  wakin ’ up at six o’clock like everyone else,” Patience said.

“And Patrick has piano lessons tomorrow,” B. claimed. “Normally his teacher likes when he has enough energy to stay awake for the lessons.”

The other cousins and Taffeta’s friends came inside, where everyone said goodbye to  eachother , before they headed out the door.

Taffeta wheeled herself in front of the maternity picture, that still hung so proudly on the wall, before she sighed to herself.

Tim walked around the living room, and tucked his fingers between couch cushions, as he let off a soft, confused ‘Hm’.

“Have you seen my poem  book ? ” he asked. “The leather back one with the  lock ? I swear I put it right here when everyone came over.”

“Last I saw it, it was on the coffee table,” Taffeta answered.

“It’s not there,” he claimed. “Maybe I put it up in the bedroom.”

Taffeta nodded as she scanned over the details of the painting. For years, she believed her family was perfect and that she was going to be someone great, but this whole ‘music making’ thing really had  it’s hard parts. She wanted to be great – it was a dream of hers to be a great Willoughby  rockstar , but those dreams seemed so impossible. Maybe she was going to be another unmemorable link in one of the world’s greatest  chains ? She came from kings, philosophers, scientists, adventurers – she was so pathetic in comparison to everyone else in the family. Even her own parents, aunt, and uncles were successful. Her dad was C.F.O to a candy conglomerate, her mom ran a successful dress business, her Aunt Ruth was only a few years away from being the new Commander  Melanoff , her Uncle B. was unearthing new artists and artworks monthly, and her Uncle A. was a pretty successful dairy farmer since he’d partnered with the  Melanoff brand.

“What’s wrong, lima  bean ? ” he asked. “The music session wasn’t  _ that  _ bad, was  it ? ”

“It . . .” she paused and sighed again. “It could’ve gone better.”

“You, Anya, Phoebe, and Shane practice about every other day,” Tim reassured. “Maybe today was rough, but the next session might be  mind blowing !!”

“Here’s to hoping,” she agreed.

She fiddled her fingers for a moment, before she turned to face Tim.

“ Poppa ? ” she asked.

“Yes ?”

“Do you ever feel . . . small, in a  way ? ” she asked. “Like emotionally small, like the things you do won’t make an impact on what happens in the world ?”

“Why do you  ask ? ” he asked.

“I just don’t see myself as a  rockstar , you know ?” she claimed. “It’s something I really want to do, but it doesn’t feel like I was born to do it. It’s like a dog in a sea of fish – yeah, the dog can swim, but it’s not as good at swimming as the fish are.”

“I know that feeling,” he admitted. “For years, I spent so much time comparing myself to  Willoughbys of the past, but think about it this way – you're doing the best you can for the time being. Not every Willoughby did amazing things and were hailed as heroes right away.”

“Maybe I wasn’t destined to be a great Willoughby,” she contemplated. “I’m eighteen and I haven’t even gotten my mustache yet.”

“Sometimes they take time -”

“Shane’s younger than me and he has one !!” Taffeta whined. “Kyle’s starting to get one, and  MacKenzie has to shave  her’s off !! Even Diana and Patrick are showing signs of getting one, while my lip is still bare !!”

“Maybe, you’re like me ?” Tim questioned. “I waited for so long to have one grow in, and eventually, I realized greatness shouldn’t be based upon how glorious a mustache is.”

Taffeta simply sighed and shook her head, before she wheeled to her stairlift, and connected her wheelchair to the machine so it could take her up the stairs.

“I have a quiz I should be studying for,” she said. “I’ll be in my room.”

“Okay, lima bean,” Tim answered. “Just let me know if you need anything.”

There was no answer.

He let off a soft ‘ hmph ’, before he went to wash the dishes that were in the sink, before Edith joined him, by sitting on the counter.

“You know, Edith, it’s hard being around people you don’t understand,” he told the cat. “Both Jane and Taffeta seem so nervous about things that are so far in the future, and I don’t get it.”

Edith let off a squeaky meow ( that sounded like more of a mouse squeak ), as she tilted her head and flicked her fluffy white and orange tail.

“I want to be there for them, of course I do,” he continued. “I just wish I understood them more. Maybe it’s because I’m a  guy ? ”

Edith remained silent as she flicked her tail and blinked slowly at Tim.

“Yeah, that’s a pretty bad copout,  huh ? ” he asked.

She responded with a quiet squeak.

“It’s just hard to imagine being so worried about the future,” he claimed. “We’re at an amazing point in our lives. Jane and I are making a lot of money, and planning on retirement in ten more years. In a few more months, Taffeta’s going to graduate and be able to start her own life. It’s like the beginning of our golden years.”

Edith chittered.

“I’m glad you understand,” he commented. “You’re a great listener.”

Jane was right, it was nice to have an animal back in his life, even if that animal was a cat. Edith liked to play as much as a dog would’ve - she even likes to get harnessed up and go for walks up and down the street. It was just nice to have a small, fluffy companion that seemed to listen to every word he said, even if she didn’t have a response back to what he was saying.

He finished up the last plate before he loaded it into the dishwasher and placed a soap pod inside, before he picked Edith up and carried her back up the stairs, where she joined Smokey, Grandpa, and Mortimer on the window seat. He watched as the bathroom door opened, and Jane came out of the bathroom.

She dried her hair off with the towel, before she stood in front of her vanity and examined her face to look at the wrinkles  only she noticed, but stressed so much over.

“What are you doing ?” he asked.

“Getting ready to go downstairs and drown my emotions in a tub of chocolate ice cream,” Jane said.

She picked her glasses up and off the vanity, before she left the room and shut the door behind herself. She went down the stairs and into the kitchen where she got said tub of ice cream and a spoon, before she sat on the couch to see that an episode of ‘Bachelorette in Paradise’ was on.

That was a good show for how she was feeling.

It was the season premiere and of course, that meant a new, hot, young model girl to be in the show, full of hot, young model guys. She popped open the tub of ice cream, before she started to spoon the chocolate dairy goodness into her mouth and think about her own predicament that she couldn’t avoid – getting older.

It was hard to look at young people and feel good about herself. She wished she could be young and beautiful forever, but didn’t everyone ?

She felt the couch bounce, before she looked next to herself and saw Tim, with a spoon in his hand and a smile on his face.

“Mind if I join  you ? ” he asked.

She put the ice cream tub between them and allowed him to eat out of the tub with her.

For a moment, his company brought her relief and she leaned onto him, before she used her free hand to run her fingers through his hair. She put her spoon in her mouth, and took a  hair tie she had on her wrist to tie his hair up into a bun  ( it was getting long enough to do so at this  point ) .

“I think I should cut my hair again,” he claimed.

“I think you look good in a man bun.”


	2. L'appel Du Vide

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕨𝕠 :

𝕃'𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕝 𝔻𝕦 𝕍𝕚𝕕𝕖

◟ ◞

“So, turns out that Diana has a point . . .” Anya said. “If you write on a bubble test it doesn’t read the answers. Missus  Trevinsky showed the entire class today.”

“Guys, guys !!”

They looked up from their phones as they walked to the front door to leave the school to see a full head of bright orange hair, and thick, goggle –  esque glasses. It was Billie.

“Hm ?” Taffeta asked.

“Guess what we’re doing for our winter  production ? ” Billie asked.

“Guys and  Dolls ? ” Anya asked. 

“Rent for the fourth year in a  row ? ” Phoebe asked.

“ Hairspray ? ” Taffeta asked.

“No, no . . . pause . . .” Billie went quiet for a moment.

“Rocky Horror.”

“Wait, we’re doing the Rocky Horror Picture Show ?” Phoebe asked. “How’d we manage to swing that ?”

“Isn’t that a play about like . . . sex and  stuff ? ” Taffeta asked.

“Missus Chu said it was about time that we did a ‘woke’ play about sexuality, and the differences between people, like transsexuals and transgender students, since we have a few at our school,” Billie explained. “And then Mister Estrada said we could, so that he can end his forty years of  principaling with a bang !!”

“Well, when are the  auditions ? ” Anya asked. “I totally want to audition for Riff Raff, or Eddie !!”

“You want to be guy  characters ? ” Taffeta asked.

“I like what they stand for,” Anya claimed.

“They’re going on in about thirty minutes in the drama room !!” Billie exclaimed. “If you guys want to audition, you better text your parents and tell them that you’ll be home a bit  late !! If you decide to audition, see you in the drama room !!”

He ran off, with a big smile on his face, as he went towards the ‘fine arts’ wing of their school.

“ I . . . I honestly really like the movie,” Phoebe mentioned. “I always felt like Janet Weiss, while kind of boring in character, has a great character arc – I – I mean, imagine being referred to as ‘The Heroine ’ ? It has a nice ring to it.”

“Well, you could totally audition for Janet !!” Anya exclaimed. “ You’re super pretty, like she is, and you have a great voice - if Shane wasn’t our lead singer, I’m sure you would be !!”

A blush rose to Phoebe’s face as she swept a strand of hair out of her face.

“You really think I’m -”

“A great singer ?”, “ Pretty ? ”

“A great  singer ? ” Anya repeated.

“Oh,” Phoebe acknowledged. “Y - Yeah, a great singer. Thanks, but don’t you two sell yourself short. You guys are just as great of singers, if not, better than me !!”

“So, are we auditioning or  what ? ” Taffeta asked.

“Yeah, let’s go !!” Anya exclaimed.

The three girls went to the ‘fine arts’ wing of their school, as they texted their parents that they’d be home a little late due to ‘school related activities’ ( Luckly, they all carpooled in Phoebe’s van that they also used as a band van ), before they saw different students from almost every grade in the drama room. They also caught sight of Katsuki and Sophie, who approached them.

“What are you three doing here ?” Sophie asked.

“We’re trying out for the play too,” Taffeta answered. “I mean, it’s an open casting call,  right ? That means anyone can try out ?”

Sophie scoffed at the three of them, before she pat down the loose  flyaways from her perfect,  hairsprayed ballarina bun.

“You three are extras at best,” Sophie snorted. “I’m auditioning for Janet Weiss, the lead -”

“Yeah, we know who Janet is,” Phoebe interjected. “I’ve seen the movie a bunch of times, a – and I know ‘Damn It, Janet’ by heart.”

“I - I’m auditioning for Columbia,” Katsuki added. “ But, I sure hope you guys get some kind of role in the play. It’s nice to have a big, full stage. I – I might be singing ‘Memory’ from ‘Cats’.”

“How many times do we have to tell you, Suki,” Sophie started. “’Cats’ is a stupid musical. Didn’t we tell you to sing something like ‘You Can’t Stop  The Beat’ from ‘Hairspray ’ ? You’re going to make me look bad.”

“ But, I don’t remember all of that song !!” Katsuki exclaimed.

“That’s your fault, you had plenty of time to practice -”

“I say, sing what you want,” Taffeta interrupted. “If you think that ‘Memory’ showcases your talent best, then do that one, it’s your audition.”

“Th - Thanks, Taffeta,” Katsuki said.

Both she and Sophie walked back to their chairs, as Sophie whispered something, harshly, to her as they sat back in their seats.

“I can’t believe you stuck up for her,” Anya whispered.

“Well, Sophie was being a total bitch,” Taffeta mentioned. “I couldn’t just watch Katsuki get berated like that. It’d be too mean.”

Then they saw the back of a familiar cowboy hat in the crowd before the head attached turned and waved them over to a cluster of seats that he had saved for them. 

“ Whatta gentleman, Shane,” Anya teased. “Who are you trying out for ?”

“Doctor  Frankenfurter ,” he answered. “That role was made for me and I won’t be convinced otherwise. My dad told me that if I don’t get the role, learn all the lines and music to be the understudy, and when nobody’s looking, break their kneecaps so I get to take their place.”

“Did he seriously –  nevermind , he did, considering who we’re talking about,” Taffeta excused. “But, please don’t break anyone’s kneecaps. I don’t want you getting in trouble.”

“I’ll only get in trouble if I get caught,” Shane laughed. “So, who are you guys trying out for ?”

“I’m going for Riff Raff, or Eddie,” Anya answered. “Phoebe’s going for Janet -”

“Well, I might just try out for anyone,” Phoebe interrupted. “I feel like I’d have a better chance at playing someone like Magenta, or Columbia, so I’m not going to get my hopes too high.”

“But you’re pretty . . .” Shane paused for a good moment of time.

Phoebe rose an eyebrow at him, wondering if the sentence was over.

“P - Pretty fuckin’ talented,” he stuttered. “Yeah.”

“Thanks Shane, but I know theatre’s a rough biz,” Phoebe sighed. “I’ll be lucky even if I get an extra in the show.”

“What are you all singing ?” Taffeta asked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“There’s this song my mom showed me on the retro station that I really like !!” Anya exclaimed. “I mean, it’s a bubbly pop tune that embodies the early twenty tens, but still, it’s a good song !!”

“I might just sing ‘When You’re Good  To Mama’ from ‘Chicago’,” Phoebe claimed. “I feel like that song can capture my voice well, or at least parts of it.”

“I’m singing ‘Sweet Transvestite’,” Shane answered. “My dad and I have been learning all the lyrics and  choreo from the movie so I can bulldoze the competition.”

“Don’t be surprised if your dad takes a bat to your ankles the day before you have to go on,” Taffeta teased. “Maybe Kyle might be in on it too, so your mom doesn’t find out.”

“Kyle doesn’t cooperate with my parents about anything,” Shane scoffed. “Anyways, what are you singing for your audition ?”

“An original piece I worked on with my mom,” Taffeta claimed. “I hope it goes over well with Missus Chu – I don’t know her policy on original songs being used for auditions.”

“She’ll be all over that,” Shane claimed. “She’s a sucker for seeing students ‘express their inner creativity’, stuff like that.”

“That’s reassuring,” Taffeta claimed. “At least I don’t have to find a song last minute.”

“You know what would be some hilarious cosmic  irony ? ” Shane asked. “Taffeta getting Doctor Everett Von Scott, since he’s already in a wheelchair.”

“Does he have to take his clothes off ?” Taffeta asked.

“Luckily, for your prudish ass, no,” Shane teased.

“Nobody’s naked, just in their underwear,” Phoebe reassured. “It’s not much different than being in a bathing suit in front of people – I mean . . . I don’t know how I’m going to pull that off, but I’m sure that Missus Chu will come up with  something . . . I hope.”

“I’m sure she will,” Shane claimed. “She’s pretty creative when it comes to finding ways to make things work.”

Then a few of the drama kids came by with sheets of paper for them to fill out and then hand to Missus Chu  ( who was in her  office ) when they were finished. 

They filled out their forums, before Shane collected them and took them to the office and he came back with four number tags, for them to put on his shirt. They were soon joined by Billie, who also had the number ‘Seventeen’ plastered on his tag.

“ So you guys decided to try  out ? ” he asked.

“Yeah !!” Anya agreed. “I’m going out for Eddie, or Riff Raff.”

“Oh -  hoh –  hoh , you got some competition, Anya,” Billie claimed. “Matty Wallis and Steven Andrews from the basketball team are trying out for those two parts too.”

“Well, they can’t both get the parts,” Anya asked. “Didn’t Steven Andrews tear one of his tendons ?”

“He’s better now,” Billie warned. “And you know that guy can dance too,  right ? I heard last year at junior prom, everyone made a circle around the guy as he threw down some moves.”

“I’m aware,” Phoebe sighed. “I thought the point was for everyone to dance, but it was just like a Steven Andrews power hour.”

“I was too focused on the honeydew shapes they were serving,” Taffeta admitted.

“I got the flu,” Anya sighed. “Which sucked.”

“My mom made me go,” Taffeta claimed. “She says that ‘high school are the best years of our lives’ and that I need to experience it as a whole, rather than skip out on things like that.”

“My mom took me dress shopping while Whitney and Sophie were there,” Phoebe said. “It was the worst experience of my life.”

“So, Billie, who are you trying out  for ? ” Taffeta asked.

“I’m going out for Brad !!” Billie exclaimed. “I’ve been practicing ‘Damn It, Janet’ for  awhile , Patrick’s been a big help – playing the piano to the score. Diana watches !!”

“Of course, you’d go out for Brad,” Shane noted. “Why do you have to be ‘Mister Nice Guy’ ?”

“Because, being the nice guy, means that I wouldn’t be acting !!” Billie claimed. “It’ll be easy to get Brad.”

“Can’t argue with that logic,” Shane agreed.

The teenagers looked up as they saw Missus Chu stand in front of everyone and clap to get their attention.

“Greetings, students of Heritage High,” she announced. “I am Missus Chu, and I am the main director of our winter production of ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’. We’re so glad to see everyone come out today, and please, if you don’t get a part, that doesn’t mean you aren’t good, and I encourage you to try out for the spring’s production of ‘Mamma Mia’, without further ado, I would like to invite Miss Sophie Andrews – Habib to the front.”

The students in the room clapped ( mostly out of courtesy ) as Sophie walked to the front of the classroom and she curtsied to everyone.

“Hi everyone, I’m Sophie Andrews – Habib,” she introduced. “Number one. For my song today, I picked ‘Defying Gravity’ from ‘Wicked’, because sometimes, I just feel like such an outcast from all of these people, like people think, just because I’m popular, I’m unapproachable.”

Shane, Billie, Taffeta, Phoebe, and Anya swapped confused glances towards  eachother , before they focused their attention back to the front of the classroom, they listened quietly as she sang the first verse and chorus of the song, in that perfectly trained theatric voice of hers, before she did another curtsy as people clapped and let off the most obnoxious little ‘thank  you’s as she walked off stage, as if she had just won a Grammy award for her preformance.

“Jesus, it’s a fucking high school play, not an award show,” Anya mumbled, while the others muttered words of agreement with her.

They watched as people like Alice Sanchez, as she managed to pull off a great rendition of a more recent pop song, and Steven Andrews, who surprisingly had a great voice as well  ( albeit , it was obvious that his singing roots derived from a gospel church  choir ) , before it was Billie’s turn.

“Hi, I’m William Willoughby, number seventeen, junior here at Heritage,” he introduced. “I wanted to sing a song that I’ve heard on the radio, called ‘Ballerina’ - but excuse me, I need to clean my glasses really quick. Can’t  preform if I can’t see you guys !!”

That earned a few weak laughs from the crowd and a teasing ‘Booo’ from Shane.

He took off his dorky rounded glasses and flipped his ginger bangs from his face as he huffed on the glass and wiped the lenses with his shirt.

Most of the girls gasped and giggled in awe, that this nerdy kid that everyone knew as a Zoology enthusiast that was there to be kind and have a good time, looked really cute without his glasses on.

“Holy shit.”

Most people turned to the back of the classroom to see Katsuki, covering her mouth with a bright pink blush painted across her cheeks.

“S - Sorry,” she apologized.

“No worries !!” Billie called from the front.

He put his glasses on before he cleared his throat and straightened his posture.

“ _ God is an artist, he put you on display, _ ” he started. “ _ A masterpiece in motion, more beautiful  _ _ everyday _ _ , _ ”

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god -” Katsuki breathily whispered.

“Oh my god, Suki,” Sophie groaned. “Shut up.”

“Sshh,” Missus Chu hushed.

“ _ Give me your love, and I’ll give you mine _ ,” Billie continued. “ _ You’re the reason I tell my friends that I’m busy tonight. _ ”

Katsuki tugged on Sophie’s fuzzy, pink cardigan and let out a few sharp, quick gasps.

“I think he looked at me,” Katsuki whispered as loud as she dared.

“Shut up,” Sophie hissed.

“ _ What’s the point of sleep, if it’s not with  _ _ you _ ? _ Your lipstick on my cheek, looking like a tattoo, _ ” He finished. “ _ My ballerina, swinging side to side, all I need is a little love and care tonight . . . _ ”

He bowed and gave a smile out to the crowd.

“Thank you !!” he exclaimed.

He joined his family and friends back where they were sitting.

“If you don’t get Brad, I’m going to be so pissed !!” Shane exclaimed.

“Yeah, that was amazing, Billie !!” Anya exclaimed. “I didn’t think you had it in you !!”

“Yeah, well, Patrick’s a great coach,” Billie claimed.

“I’ll say,” Taffeta agreed.

“Number  eighteen ? ” Missus Chu called.

That’s when Katsuki walked up to the stage and she curtsied, as she cleared her throat. She looked over towards Taffeta and her friend group, directly to Billie, who gave her a big, cheesy smile and two thumbs up. She smiled and her face visibly pinkened as she looked back at the crowd.

“Hello everyone,” she greeted. “I’m Katsuki Matsumoto, number eighteen, and today I’ll be singing a rendition of ‘Memory’ from the  Broadway musical ‘Cats’.”

That’s when she sang, and she sang it beautifully, as if that song truly came within deep of her core, as if the entire song radiated her energy and aura, as if the message of that song was her own that she wanted to get out there. Her voice was beautiful, and the song she chose was far better than one that someone else had chosen for her.

When she was done, she bowed and smiled out at the applause she got from the others, before her face’s happy expression softly faded as she made contact with Sophie’s hard, disappointed glare. She made her way back to the back of the classroom and sat next to Sophie, with her head down as Sophie whispered something inaudible, but still very visibly mean to her.

A few more people went, such as Matty Wallis, who’s voice was so versatile as he did both a singing and a rap verse from a more current song on the radio, as well as sophomore, Comet Martinelli, who Jane and Tim told Taffeta was bad news ( well, more so that her parents were bad news, rather than her, but Comet seemed to be a pretty sweet girl, overall ).

Then it was Anya’s turn, and she walked up to the front of the classroom and gave a quick curtsy as she looked to the back to see the hard glare from Sophie. She felt the anger rise in her chest, which only gave her more reason to want to get into the play.

“Hey, I’m Anya Wolfe, number twenty – three,” she introduced. “I’m singing ‘Call Me Maybe’, which was a song that came out in the early two – thousand tens – My mom showed it to me when I was a young kid, and I hope you enjoy a little piece of me that I brought to you.”

She cracked her knuckles, and her gaze was affixed on Sophie, as she knew she had to show them how great she was at singing – show these people why she was in ‘The Four Anarchists of Venus’, show these people that she was good enough to be among them.

“ _ I threw a wish in the well, don’t ask me, I’ll never tell, _ ” she started. “ _ I looked to you as it fell, and now you’re in my way . . . _ ”

Sophie sneered at her in confusion, as she watched Anya be focused on her during the audition, before she rolled her eyes and scoffed.

“ _ I’d trade my soul for a wish, pennies and dimes for a kiss, _ ” Anya continued. “ _ I wasn’t looking for this, but now you’re in my way . . . _ ”

Some of the students started clapping along to the beat as Anya built up the bridge to the song.

“ _ Your stare was  _ _ holdin _ _ ’, ripped jeans, skin was  _ _ showin _ _ ’, _ ” she sang. “ _ Hot night, wind was  _ _ blowin _ _ ’  _ -”

“ _ Where  _ _ ya _ _ ’ think you’re  _ _ goin _ _ ’,  _ _ baby _ ? ” Both Steven Andrews and Matty Wallis chimed in.

She smiled and laughed as she watched the two boys stand up and start to dance along to her cover, so she danced along to her singing as well.

“ _ Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number, so call me maybe. And, all the other boys try to chase me, but here’s my number, so call me maybe  _ !!”

She stopped and smiled as her friends gave a few shouts of encouragement and so did the two basketball boys as Sophie scrunched her nose in a pitiful disgust. Anya came back to her seat, beaming, as everyone gave her high - fives.

Then her performance followed Shane’s nearly flawless and equally dramatic rendition of ‘Sweet Transvestite’, complete with choreography that sprawled almost the entire front of the classroom, which took Missus Chu off guard, but she seemed to be so incredibly pleased with it all. Phoebe was after him, sticking to her guns of singing ‘When Mama’s Good  To You’ from ‘Chicago’  ( with a true rocker’s edge to the soulful, bouncy tune of the original song ), which got Alice Sanchez up and dancing as ‘Chicago’ was the play she was in a few years ago.

After both of them, it was Taffeta’s turn, and she wheeled up in front, before she looked at the crowd. She felt butterflies in her stomach,  over seeing everyone, even though there was only one, spiteful, hate fueled look from the crowd from I wonder who. She felt her heart pounding, and her face was definitely a bright red, it was undeniable.

“ Uhm . . . Hi,” she greeted. “I - I’m Taffeta J. Willoughby, senior, and I was wondering if could do an original song for my audition ?”

“You can do whatever best showcases your vocal talents, Taffeta,” Missus Chu encouraged.

“O - Oh, okay, thank you,” Taffeta claimed. “I like to call this piece ‘Everything Stays’, but I can’t take full credit, it’s a song that my mom and I wrote together.”

She gulped as she looked to her friends and family, who could sense her nervousness, and she watched as Shane scribbled something on a piece of paper in marker, before he held it up to her.

“CLOSE YOUR EYES, DUMBASS”

Taffeta nodded, before she closed her eyes, and took a deep breath in.

“ _ Let’s go into the garden, you’ll find something waiting, right where you left it, lying upside down, _ ” she started. “ _ When you finally find it, you’ll see how it’s faded. The underside is lighter, when you turn it around _ .”

It was like the anxiousness slowly left her as she felt a warmth, much like an embrace around her body, she felt a smile creep to her face, as she was reminded of times when her life was so, so good. She was reminded of when both of her parents would tuck her into bed, pile in next to her and they’d read her a bedtime story. She was reminded of the times that were spend riding on her poppa’s shoulders, or cuddled in her momma’s arms. She was reminded of the times when things were going alright, when she was an innocent kid, protected from the world. The sense of nostalgia made her warm, and she didn’t notice it yet, but there were streaky, soft eyeliner tears coming down her face.

“ _ Everything stays, right where you left it _ ,” she continued. “ _ Everything stays, but it still changes . . . _ ”

She instinctively held her hand to her chest as her heartbeat soon steadied and she took another deep breath in, embracing this feeling that she felt. It was a comforting warm. 

“ _ Ever so slightly, daily and nightly, _ ” she finished. “ _ In little ways, when everything stays. _ ”

She finally opened her eyes and smiled before she looked out at everyone, a few of which were crying, and dabbing their eyes with tissues.

“O -Oh my god, was it that  bad ? ” Taffeta asked.

Missus Chu took out a handkerchief from her dress pocket and wiped her mascara – y tears away from her face as she shook her head and smiled.

“No, no,  Taffeta !! That was good !!” she reassured. “That was beautiful !!”

“I don’t want you guys to cry !!” Taffeta panicked.

“Settle down, settle down,” Missus Chu calmed. “Sometimes when  preformances touch the heart, it makes people fill with emotion – good emotion. It means your song struck so deeply, that it uncovered those good emotions and they came out. It was beautiful, and you should be proud !!”

“Really ?” Taffeta asked.

“Yes, really !!” Missus Chu exclaimed. “That was wonderful !!”

“Thank you,” Taffeta said.

She wheeled back to her friends and family, where she was hugged and congratulated.

“That was awesome, Taffeta !!” Billie exclaimed. “Screw what Kyle says, you and your mom make great music together !!”

“Shit, that made me cry !!” Phoebe laughed. “You’re totally getting in, for sure !!”

“Look, look, Shane’s crying !!” Anya teased.

Taffeta laughed, as she looked at Shane, who had his head tilted back as he fanned his eyes with his hands.

“ **_ No _ ** _ , I’m  _ **_ not _ ** ,” he claimed. “ _ This eyeliner was thirty – six  _ **_ dollars _ ** _ , and it’s not  _ **_ waterproof _ ** **** !!”

They all laughed at  eachother and the night continued with script reading, and a dance session to see if everyone was capable of dancing and following choreography, before the night ended and they went out to the student parking lot, wishing their goodbyes and such before the three girls loaded into Phoebe’s van.

“That was exhilarating !!” Anya exclaimed. “Even if I don’t get Riff Raff or Eddie, I still really want to be a part of this play !!”

“So, h – how did you feel about Alice Sanchez’s audition this  time ? ” Phoebe asked.

“Oh, she did great !!” Anya claimed. “I mean, I expected that though. She’s a theatre geek after all. I talked to her in the bathroom, and she said that she auditioned for ensemble though, because she’s going to Arizona for two weeks in November to visit family, so she wouldn’t feel right leaving the play without a major character.”

“Well, that was nice of her !!” Taffeta exclaimed. “Hey Phoebe, maybe that means you have an opening for Janet !!”

“Eh, I don’t know,” Phoebe claimed. “Maybe someone like Sophie might get her . . . but it’s fine, I’m okay with getting Columbia or Magenta.”

“Don’t put yourself down like that !!” Anya exclaimed. “You did a kickass job !!”

“ So did you !!” Phoebe exclaimed “Matty Wallis and Steven Andrews can eat your dust !!”

“Ladies, ladies, you both did a great job !!” Taffeta added. “Wait ‘til we get home and we tell our parents that we auditioned for a play !!”

“Yeah, I’m sure my family’s going to be so proud !!” Anya exclaimed.

“Uh guys . . . hang on . . . I just realized something,” Phoebe started. “How are we going to tell our parents that we auditioned for ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ behind their backs ?”

“Oh.” Taffeta said.

“ Well ? ” Anya started. “ Y’know ? We’re all almost  eighteen !! We’re almost adults !!”

“Yeah, but my parents will have a heart attack if I tell him I auditioned for that !!” Taffeta exclaimed.

“How about we think about it after some Ham Bros.  milkshakes ? ” Phoebe asked.

“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea,” Anya agreed. “ Taff ?”

“I could go for a milkshake,” Taffeta agreed. “Might take my mind off of what’s about to come.”

“Me too,” Phoebe said. “To Ham Bros. !!”

The three girls buckled into the van as they drove out of the student parking lot, texting their parents that they were getting milkshakes, and would be on their way soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❇ || Credit where credit is due, none of these songs aren't original !! All songs go to their rightful owners !! Carly Rey Jepsen sang and wrote 'Call Me Maybe' ( Anya's song ), Jeremy Shada wrote and sang 'Ballerina' ( Billie's song ), and both Olivia Olson and Rebecca Sugar wrote 'Everything Stays' ( Taffeta's song ) while Olivia Olson sang it !! Some of these are due to voice headcannons I have for the characters, while others are references to popular broadway musicals !! I hope you enjoyed the chapter nonetheless !! You guys are awesome !! ❤✨🎀


	3. Non Ducor, Duco

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕖 :

ℕ𝕠𝕟 𝔻𝕦𝕔𝕠𝕣, 𝔻𝕦𝕔𝕠

◟ ◞

“So, how was that mysterious, last minute school activity ?” Tim asked as Taffeta wheeled through the door. “Are you going to tell us what happened ?”

“I - I’ll tell you at dinner,” Taffeta excused. “Is that meatloaf ?”

“Indeed,” Tim answered. “But you have to tell me – did you get detention and not tell me about it ?”

“No !!” Taffeta exclaimed. “It was last minute, and Anya, Phoebe, and I thought it was a good idea to try it out. Maybe it might look good on college applications ?”

“ College ? ” Tim asked. “Have you decided on where you want to go  yet ? You can get a Masters in music at  Harvard !! It would be great to see you go to Harvard – I could tell you some of the ropes and -”

“No, still haven’t decided,” she shut down. “Where’s momma ?”

“She’s upstairs, showering,” he answered. “But if you ever change your mind about Harvard -”

Taffeta laughed and shook her head before she wheeled into the kitchen.

“I’m not changing my mind about Harvard, poppa,” she claimed.

She then watched as Edith stood perched on the countertop, with one of those novelty chef hats for cats that you order off the internet when you’re bored.

“Why is Edith on the counter ?” Taffeta asked.

“She’s my cooking buddy,” he explained. “She’ll sit up here and help me cook sometimes – it's not like you or your momma ever help me cook anymore, since you think helping me cook is for babies -”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, all with a smile on her face as she came into the kitchen with her wheelchair.

“C’mon poppa, I was  **_ seven  _ ** when I said that,” she insisted. “Have you made any of the sides yet ?”

“You can start mashing up some potatoes,” he claimed. “They’re on the island.”

She wheeled over and parked her wheelchair out of the way before she got up from her chair and stood up before she managed to maintain her balance and walk to the island, where she took a seat at the one of the barstools as she took the bowl of boiled, chopped potatoes, and a potato masher, before she started to mash the boiled potatoes.

She looked up and saw that her mom had finally left the shower, and was now in the kitchen with them, in a sheer, see through red robe  ( with furred edges and cuffs and a ribbon  tie ) , and a matching black, silk and lace tank top and shorts pajama set. She tugged a strand of her hair behind her ear as she braced her hands against the counter.

Tim turned from the sink, and jumped.

“What are you  wearing ? ” he asked.

“ Pajamas ? ” Jane answered. “I got them today when I was out. They’re cute, aren’t  they ? ”

“Uhm -” Tim started.

“Yeah !!” Taffeta exclaimed. “Where’d you get them ?”

“Jada’s Entanglement,” Jane answered. “I got you something while I was there too,  Taff.Hang on, let me go and get it.”

“Cool !!” Taffeta exclaimed.

She continued to mash the potatoes before she heard a quiet groan from Tim.

“What the hell was  that ? ” he muttered to himself.

“Hm ?” Taffeta questioned. 

“N - Nothing,” he answered. “Do you need the butter, salt, garlic powder, and pepper yet ?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t hurt to have ‘ em over here,” she claimed.

Tim gave Taffeta the condiments to add to the mashed potatoes, before Jane came back down with the pink, and black striped paper bag with golden tissue paper peeking from the bag, and she set it from the side of the bowl of mashed potatoes.

“Open it,” Jane encouraged.

Tim closed his eyes, in fear of what was in the bag, because while he was aware that Jada’s Entanglement sold so much more than just lingerie – he didn’t want to risk seeing lingerie that was directed towards his daughter. Seeing Jane in a tank top and shorts that hugged the still very prominent curves of her body was already so . . .  _ much  _ to handle. He wasn’t going to deny that she was gorgeous, but she’s his  **_ sister _ ** .

“’Holy Light ’ ? ” Taffeta asked. “What is it ?”

“It a set that has lotion, body spray, body wash -” Jane explained. “All of them have glitter, and they smell super good – like  merengue .”

“Oh, thanks momma !!” Taffeta exclaimed. “I’ll use it tomorrow !!”

“Oh, thank the cosmos,” Tim whispered to himself.

He opened his eyes as he saw the box of white and golden lotion, body wash, and perfume, all tied up with a sparkly, white bow, before he turned with a strainer full of lettuce  shreddings that he put into a bowl that he had already added sunflower seeds and tomatoes to.

“So, what did you do all day at  school ? ” Jane asked.  ”You stayed pretty late  today ? Have to make up a  test ? Get detention ?”

“No, I didn’t get detention,” Taffeta answered. “I uhm . . . I tried out for our school’s winter theatre production.”

“Oh, how fun !!” Jane exclaimed. “I did a few theatre productions back when I was in high school. I was in ‘Damn Yankees’ as Lola, ‘Annie’ as Lily – we both did ‘Guys and Dolls’, well, I was Adelaide and your poppa was backstage. I fell off a set piece, your poppa caught me.”

She  bat her eyelashes at him and braced her hands against the countertop.

“Didn’t you,  Tim ? ” she asked.

“What has gotten into  you ? ” he asked.

She simply shook her head and leaned her cheek into her wrist. 

“So, what play is  it ? ‘Waitress’, ‘Phantom of the Opera ’ ? ” Jane asked. “I wanted to be in ‘Phantom of the Opera’, but cheerleading had other plans.”

Taffeta coughed out the answer, which caused both Tim and Jane to look at her in confusion.

She continued to mash the potatoes and tried to brush off what she had just said. Maybe trying out for a play like that was a bit of a bad move on her part . . .

“Sorry, didn’t catch that,” Tim insisted.

“Maybe you should try using some words, because I don’t know what ‘cough, cough, cough’ means,” Jane teased. “What play is it ?”

“Uhm . . . so our school’s trying to be more progressive, you  know ? ” Taffeta started.

Tim put down the tongs he was using to toss the salad before he squinted and rose an eyebrow at his daughter. He straightened his posture and crossed his arms as what the answer was going to be.

Jane kept her posture relaxed, as she leaned on the counter and tilted her head. Her expression was soft and inquisitive as she listened to Taffeta, talking about how she had joined her high school’s most recent theatre production. It was a little outside the box for Taffeta to go out for a theatre production – it wasn’t like Taffeta wasn’t talented, because she thought Taffeta was one of the most perfect, talented girls in the world, but she never seemed like a theatre girl.

Taffeta had a heated, red blush come to her face. There was no way that she could say this and not get met with some sort of scolding, or maybe a possible grounding. She bit her lip and took a breath in.

“Rocky Horror Picture Show,” she said.

“ Oh ? ” Jane asked.

Tim’s eyebrows furrowed in judgement, though he didn’t seem to be fuming or livid  ( which Taffeta wasn’t sure she’d ever seen before – heard, yes, but she didn’t like to think about it . . . that didn’t stop it from happening, and sometimes the thoughts crept up on her. ).

“Excuse me ?” he asked. “Did I hear that right ?”

“I - I just wanted to try and do something new !!” Taffeta exclaimed. “Phoebe, Anya, Shane, and Billie tried out with me, so I thought I’d be -”

“Absolutely not !!” Tim exclaimed. “Just because everyone else is trying out, doesn’t mean you’re going to be in that play. You’re seventeen, Taffeta, and that is a really mature play.”

“But -”

“No buts.” he interjected.

“ _ Tiiiim _ ,” Jane whined.

She stood from the table and she walked around the island before she stood next to him. She lightly traced her acrylic nails up the sleeve of his shirt, before she gently dragged them up his neck and scratched his chin, which caused him to shutter and a heated blush to rise to his cheeks. Instinctively, he let off a rumbling purr as he cradled his chin in her hand as he stared at Jane, with pleased, half – lidded eyes. 

“ _ Come on, she’s just trying something new, _ ” she soothed. “ _ Hm  _ ? ”

Taffeta furrowed her eyebrows at the scene laid in front of her and gulped, because she’d never witnessed her poppa just, melt into human contact like that. She felt a few beads of sweat form on her forehead as she glanced around the room. She didn’t exactly know how to feel – she was happy that whatever her momma did  **_ worked _ ** , but confused on what the hell  **_ that  _ ** even  **_ was _ ** .

“But, Jane . . . you’ve seen the movie –  _ oh  _ . . .” he sighed.

She lightly dragged one nail down his neck, and then back up to his chin, which caused another pleased purr as he leaned into the touched.

Taffeta looked away and shielded her eyes away from the both of them and kept her mouth shut. Her momma knew what she was doing, and that meant Taffeta needed to keep her mouth shut.

“ _ Why don’t you go and change into your pajamas and think it  _ _ over _ ? I got the meatloaf and the salad,” she coaxed. “ _ Okay  _ ? ”

He nodded in her hand before he looked up at her, as she stroked her hand through his hair.

“ _ Okay _ ,” he agreed.

“ _ Good _ ,” she said. “ _ Now, go and change. _ ”

He got off from her hand and walked up the stairs in a daze. 

Taffeta looked at her momma in confusion ( well, a very solid confusion ) as she looked towards the stairs, and back at Jane, her jaw slightly hung open in shock.

“ Wh \- What . . .” Taffeta started.

“ What ? ” Jane laughed. 

“ _ What the hell was  _ _ that  _ ? ” Taffeta asked.

Jane laughed quietly and shook her head before she walked behind Taffeta to ruffle her hair, and around to the oven, where she checked the meatloaf, which wasn’t quite finished yet. She then went to the salad bowl, where she continued to add croutons, cheese, and Italian dressing into the bowl.

“He’s a  _ Willoughby  _ **_ man _ ** ,” Jane commented.

“I think the appropriate response is  _ ‘ _ _ ew _ _ ’  _ ?” Taffeta questioned.

“Willoughby men, while some of the most magnificent men in history – philosophers, poets, etcetera, etcetera,” Jane started. “They melt at the hands of a woman. All of them have.”

“Okay, so definitely ‘ ew ’,” Taffeta said.

“Got him to stop worrying about your play, didn’t  I ? ” Jane asked.

“I mean . . .  yeah ? ” Taffeta agreed.

“You’re welcome,” Jane teased.

“So, you’re not  mad ? ” Taffeta asked.

Jane giggled and shook her head as she finished up the salad and then took the oven mitts out of the oven mitt drawer and took the cooked meatloaf out of the oven, before she set it on the island to cool.

“You’re seventeen, you’ve probably already heard worse from your friend’s mouths than anything in that play,” Jane claimed. “You’re old enough to be in something like that. Besides, it’ll get you out  there , put you out of your comfort zone – it makes me proud to see you get out there.”

“Really ?” Taffeta asked. 

“Of course !!” Jane exclaimed. “If you need help with your music, or going over your lines, just let me know and I’ll help you out.”

“W - Wow, momma, that’s pretty cool of you,” Taffeta claimed. “Thanks ?”

“You’re welcome,” Jane said.

Tim came back down the stairs, in a matching silk pajamas before he went behind Jane and hugged her from behind, where he placed his head atop hers.

Taffeta felt a sharp chill travel through her body, as she momentarily thought back to when she was a kid, and her poppa – she shook her head. Her momma knew what she was doing, she didn’t need to worry. She tugged on the collar of her turtleneck as she watched her scratch and rub on her poppa’s cheek and hair.

“So, Tim, what’s the conclusion on the  play ? ” Jane asked.

“ Hm ? ” he asked.

“I said, ‘ _ what’s the conclusion on Taffeta’s  _ _ play  _ ? ’,” Jane repeated.

“ Mmh , I mean, I’m not happy about it,” he started.

Jane turned and lightly scratched his neck, before she readjusted the collar of his shirt, and smoothed out the wrinkles of his shirt.

“ _ But, I mean, maybe it won’t be so bad, _ ” he sighed. “ _ I mean, her school approved it – I'm sure it’s not going to be that bad,  _ _ right _ ? ” 

“ _ Right _ ,” Jane soothed. “ _ So, if she’s in, we’re going to let her in,  _ _ right _ ? ”

“ _ Right _ ,” he agreed.

She ran her fingers through his hair and tucked a loose strand of his hair back behind his ear, before she cradled his chin and scrunched her nose.

“ _ Go sit down, I’ll serve you tonight, _ ” Jane soothed.

“ _ You got it, Jane _ ,” he agreed.

He backed away from her and walked over to the table, where he sat down and waited for Jane to bring hm his food. 

Taffeta looked to Jane and mouthed a silent ‘Wow’ to her, as Jane simply smiled and got out the plates so she could serve everyone. 

Taffeta put a serving of mashed potatoes on each plate, as Jane used the tongs to put salad and a fork to put meatloaf onto the plates, before Jane brought the first plate to Tim and lightly scratched under his chin, which earned another chittering purr.

She went back to the kitchen, before she brought the other two plates  ( the table had been previously set ).

“ _ What do you want to  _ _ dri _ _ nk  _ ? ” she asked.

“ _ I  _ _ dunno _ _ , whatever you get me _ ,” he answered.

Jane walked to the kitchen and winked at Taffeta who continued to watch in awe, before she popped open a bottle of sparkling white grape juice and filled three glasses with it, before she took them back to the table and set them in their spots.

Taffeta got up from the island before she used the wall to help her balance as she managed to stagger over to the kitchen table where she sat down and started to eat her dinner.

“So, when are you going to find out if you got casted or  not ? ” Jane asked.

“Tomorrow, during lunch,” Taffeta answered. “Missus Chu really liked my  performance though, so I have a feeling I might be in ensemble, at the very least.”

“That’s amazing !!” Jane exclaimed. “What did you sing for your audition ?”

“Our song, ‘Everything Stays’,” Taffeta said. “People really liked it, they cried.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to sing one of our songs,” Jane insisted. “I know that they’re probably too childish for you anymore -”

“Momma, they’re not baby songs,” Taffeta reassured. “They’re great songs – you really need to give yourself more credit.”

“Are you sure you’re comfortable with singing them in front of everyone ?” Jane asked.

“ Of course I am !!” Taffeta exclaimed. “People loved them !!”

Jane gave a smile and held her hand to her chest as she shook her head.

“Those songs wouldn’t exist without you,” she reminded.

“They wouldn’t exist without you either, momma,” Taffeta insisted.

“ So . . . how was your day,  poppa ? ” Taffeta asked.

He seemed to be a little more out of whatever haze Jane had managed to put him in as he shook his head and turned his attention over to Taffeta and away from Jane.

“Oh, uh, fine,” he answered. “I had lunch with Theo today, which was nice, because that meant I didn’t have to hide out in my office, away from Rick – we went to Ham  Bros.. Did you know they make chili cheese fries there  now ? ”

“Oh yeah, we saw those on the menu when we went to get milkshakes,” Taffeta agreed. “We didn’t want to spoil dinner, so we didn’t get any.”

“I think I might have to go and try those,” Jane commented. “I mean, it’s not like I have anything to do tomorrow . . . I might go and visit Nanny, maybe.”

“I’m sure she’d love to see you, especially after chemo,” Tim soothed.

“Yeah, it would be nice for her to have some company, especially since Aunt Ruth has her babysitting Joel all day,” Taffeta reassured. “Didn’t you like having people around when it was just you and me all  day ? ”

“Yeah, I guess you guys have a point,” Jane claimed. “Even if I don’t exactly like being around drooly, grubby things like Joel.”

“ Babies ? ” Taffeta laughed.

“Yes,” Jane confirmed. “Babies.”

“Oh, come on, momma, you had to have liked babies just a little bit,” Taffeta insisted. “I mean, I was a baby at one point.”

“You were the only baby I absolutely adored,” Jane explained. “The rest . . . I could’ve done without seeing all the cousins as a  babies – at least I got to hand them back to their parents when they started whining.”

“I think it might be a little different, because you were inside of her at one point,” Tim reminded. “She had to carry you around in her tummy and see you grow from a little lima bean blip on a screen all the way up into the person you are now.”

“I guess that kind of makes sense ?” Taffeta agreed.

“Maybe it might make a little more sense if you ever decide to become a mom yourself one day,” Jane claimed.

“Mm, pass,” Taffeta said. “I don’t think being a mom’s the life for me.”

“It’s not for everyone,” Jane reassured. “But, don’t do what Sabrina did.”

“Oh, yeah, don’t do that,” Tim agreed. “If you bring kids into your life, don’t take yourself out of them.”

“Totally,” Taffeta claimed. “I feel so bad for Billie, Diana, and Patrick – I mean, they’re having a hard time accepting that she’s gone, and Patrick’s in complete denial.”

“Poor kid,” Jane sighed. “I can’t believe that B. hasn’t told any of them the truth yet.”

“Well, it’s probably hard for him to accept too, he really loved Sabrina, but she ditched him to go with her ex to France,” Tim noted. “He’s probably still processing it all himself.”

“Well, wasn’t  it kind of obvious that she didn’t like him like that ?” Taffeta asked. “I mean, the only time she seemed to be affectionate towards him was when he was getting her things, and I’m pretty sure that’s not how love works.”

“Ah, wise beyond your years, young one,” Jane teased. “Just because a person buys you pretty things, doesn’t make it love – but the flowers and surprise Dynamite Dim Sum is always a bonus.”

She winked to Tim as she finished her food and picked up everyone’s plate.

He followed behind her and took the plates from her.

“Hey, you served everyone, let me do this for you,” he insisted.

“My, my, what a gentleman,” Jane teased.

“I’m going to go up to my room,” Taffeta called. “I’m going to keep reading my vocabulary notes for government. I keep getting aristocracy and  autocracy mixed up and my teacher’s getting pretty frustrated about it.”

“Study hard,” Tim called up the stairs.

He continued to wash the dishes before he thought for a moment – just an hour ago, he was so adamant that he would never let Taffeta star in something like Rocky Horror, and now he’s totally given up on the  conversation ? He looked over his shoulder and squinted at Jane.

“What did you do to  me ? ” he asked.

“What are you talking  about ? ” she asked.

She batted her eyelashes, before she went and poured them two new wine glasses of white grape juice.

“How did you make me agree to Taffeta playing in Rocky  Horror ? ” he asked.

“You agreed to that on your own,” Jane insisted. “But, Tim, she’s seventeen – we were doing far worse at her age. At least she’s out there doing something fun and productive with her time, and she isn’t driving all the way out to some shady trailer park for drugs, like we used to.”

He knitted his eyebrows in frustration, but still nodded his head in agreement, because she had a point. It wasn’t like their little lima bean was going to be little forever – this was just one step into letting her go off and do her own thing, and if she doesn’t like it, she doesn’t like it.

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed. “But let’s not try and jinx it, okay ?”

“Okay,” Jane agreed. “Consider it un – jinxed.”

“Not sure that’s how that works,” he claimed.

Jane simply shrugged as she went and set the juice glasses down on the coffee table. She went upstairs to the blanket closet, before she noticed Smokey on one of their blankets, while Grandpa was in another.

“Now, how did you two get in  here ? ” she asked.

Smokey simply meowed before Jane picked them both up and set them both on the ground, where they walked in opposite directions towards the master bedroom and down the stairs to get to the cat tree  ( Where Edith played with the dangling mouse toy that was attached to  it ) . Jane carried the blankets downstairs, and set them on the couch, before she turned on the T.V to see that a show called ‘Diamond Boutique’ was on.

She furrowed her eyebrows at the familiarity of the name before she then saw Megan’s stupidly perfect face on the T.V. Jane squinted at the T.V as she saw that Megan somehow got her own reality show centered on wedding dresses, and was a little confused as to why her duck lips weren’t at the door, bragging about it. Maybe she was just that busy with her new show ?

“Whoa, is that  Megan ? ” Tim asked.

“Yeah,” Jane answered. “Who could mistake that  botoxed , plastic face for anyone else ?”

“I can’t believe she got her own show,” Tim commented. “She’s just so p -”

“Perfect ?”

Tim grabbed his juice glass and smiled as he shook his head.

“I was going to say ‘plastic’,” he corrected. “I’m sure when she dies, they could make her remains into a recycled park bench.”

“Rude,” Jane laughed.

She was quiet for a moment.

“Maybe I should get  botox ,” she claimed.

“But you’re already pretty, why would you need to do  that ? ” he asked.

“It might get rid of some of these wrinkles I have,” she claimed. “Then, maybe, I won’t look so old.”

“You don’t look that old,” Tim soothed.

“ _ That  _ old ?” Jane asked.

“You know what I mean !!” he laughed. “You still look as pretty as the day I found out you were pregnant.”

“I was in a  worn out hoodie and shorts !!” she laughed.

“ But, you made it look good, didn’t  you ? ” he asked.

“I don’t know about that,” she said.

“Don’t humble yourself so much,” he encouraged. “Jane Florence Elizabeth Willoughby, you’re a beautiful woman, on the inside and outside.”

“And, you, Timothy Anthony Malachy Willoughby, are one stubborn bastard,” she insisted.

“If being a stubborn bastard is what it takes for you to realize that you’re beautiful,  then label me a mule,” he joked.

“Well, an ass and a mule are almost the same thing,” she teased. “So, I’ll settle for a stubborn ass.”

“Jerk,” he teased.

She stuck her tongue out and smiled, before she leaned onto his chest and snuggled.

He pulled two blankets over them both, before he handed her the other juice cup.

“Do you want to keep watching this ?” he asked.

“Nah,” she said. “Let’s see what else is on.”

He picked up the remote and flipped  throught the channels before they saw that there was a reunion special of ‘ Keepin ’ It Real ; Texas Housewives’.

“Oh shit !!” he exclaimed. “They made a reunion special ?”

“Let’s check it out,” Jane insisted.

Tim flicked on the special before they both laughed at how old all the housewives were, and it only made it better that every question the host would ask, Diane Dalloway would ask ‘ What ? ’, due to needing hearing aids.

“Holy shit, they are so old !!” Tim laughed.

“Look, we’re old, but at least we’re not as old as these crones,” Jane agreed. “Someone should put Patty Potts in a box, floating down a river – I wouldn’t be surprised if she just dropped dead during this show !!”

They both laughed at their remarks, before Jane cuddled into his chest and he planted a kiss on the back of her head.

Things were changing, that was obvious, but maybe there was some things that would always stay the same – like how much the two oldest Willoughby siblings loved their trash reality T.V.


	4. Vincit Qui Se Vincit

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔽𝕠𝕦𝕣 :

𝕍𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕚𝕥 ℚ𝕦𝕚 𝕊𝕖 𝕍𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕚𝕥

◟ ◞

Students gathered around the announcement billboard at lunch and Taffeta, Anya, Shane, Billie, and Phoebe were among those students. They chattered amongst  eachother as they awaited the casting results for their theatre production.

“I’m definitely going to get Janet,” Sophie bragged. “I told Mister Langford that I tried out and he said that Missus Chu would be an idiot not to cast me as the lead.”

“I mean, you are on a dance team,” Matty commented. “You have a lot of experience with theatre stuff.”

“I’m just glad that other people are getting a chance to try out this time around,” Alice Sanchez sighed. “It’s refreshing to know that new faces will be seen on the stage.”

“I just want to know who got Rocky !!” Katsuki squeaked.

Her fingers were crossed as she held her breath and stared at the blank spot on the billboard, hoping that one very specific name would be held next to the space of ‘Rocky Horror’.

“Hey Steven, I just wanted to let you know that I think you’d make a totally cool Brad,” Billie complimented. “I think your voice would be just perfect for him !!”

“Hey man, call me ‘Steve’, Steven’s my dad,” Steven or Steve teased. “But Bill – Bro, your voice is totally killer !! Are you self taught ?”

“I have a super good coach, actually !!” Billie exclaimed.

“I already know I got this role in the bag,” Shane claimed. “I’m not worried – I feel  more bad for you guys. It must be shitty, wondering if you got the part you wanted.”

“Look, Shane, I’ll just be happy to be in the ensemble,” Phoebe claimed.

“Speak for yourself !!” Anya exclaimed. “If I don’t get Eddie or Riff Raff, I’m never leaving my room !!”

“I just hope I didn’t get a  super duper sexualized role,” Taffeta claimed. “I mean, I’d be cosmic irony if I got Doctor Scott – but I’d take an old dude in a wheelchair than someone half naked.”

They all quieted down once they saw Missus Chu round the corner with the casting list.

She used the stapler to staple the cast list on the billboard before she turned to hide the list for a moment, from the prying teenage eyes. She gave a smile to all of them and took a breath in. 

“Remember, if you didn’t get casted, that doesn’t mean I didn’t think you were good,” she reassured. “And if your name isn’t on the cast list, please, look at the stage crew list – you are all very useful in this production and I would be so happy to have every single one of you attend our practices !!”

“Can we look now, Missus  Chu ? ” Shane asked. “I’m shivering with  antici . . .  **_ pation _ ** .”

She backed away from the casting list and allowed the jittery group of teenagers to sneak a peek at the list. Phoebe hung back, with Alice Sanchez, as they smiled at the excitement of all the others.

“Whoa, I got Brad !!” Steve exclaimed. “I can’t believe  it !! I thought I’d get Eddie – but I didn’t think I’d get the lead role !!”

“Oh, thank god,” Taffeta gasped. “I got Doctor Scott. Thank the cosmos that I get to keep my clothes on.”

“Well, luckily for you, Eddie was taken,” Matty claimed. “By this guy !!”

“Well, well, well, looks like I’m getting cozy with Katsuki,” Anya giggled. “My dearest sister – lover.”

“You know, I can settle for Magenta,” Katsuki shrugged off. “But tell me, who got Rocky ?”

“You’re looking at him, right here !!” Billie laughed.

This caused Katsuki to cover her face and squeal like a little schoolgirl at the fact she was going to see Billie, again, totally transformed, with his hair down and his glasses off – she absolutely couldn’t wait.

“Ah, my creation !!” Shane exclaimed.

He touched Billie on his shoulders and Billie laughed at the fact he was going to have scenes with his cousin. It was going to be a good play from the results so far.

“Excuse me, Missus  Chu ? ” Sophie asked. “Is there a typo  here ? I – I'm right next to Columbia – shouldn't I be next to Janet ?”

“No ?” Missus Chu answered. “I thought you would make a better Columbia – but Columbia’s still a good  role !! I know she’s not the lead, but -”

“Why did you give Janet to her ?” Sophie demanded. “She wouldn’t even know the first thing about being the lead in the play !!”

It took everyone a moment to process where Sophie was pointing, because they couldn’t believe it either. The person that was in the most confusion was the one being pointed at.

“Me ?” Phoebe asked. “Wait, wait, wait -”

Phoebe pushed through the crowd to look at the cast list.

“ **_ Janet  _ ** **_ Weiss : _ ** **_ The Heroin _ ** **_ e _ ** – _ Phoebe  _ _ Vinderstromm _ ”

“Okay, so there’s totally a mistake here,” Phoebe agreed.

“No, there’s not !!” Shane exclaimed. “You got the lead, Pheebs !!”

He squeezed her shoulders and beamed at her.

“Holy crap, congratulations, Phoebe !!” Anya exclaimed. “But come on, you can stop acting all  surprised . I knew you could do it !!”

“Yeah, do you really think you’re that bad at singing ?” Taffeta joked. “Please, you really underestimate yourself. Stop doing that !!”

“But Sophie has more experience -”

“Yeah, I have way more experience !!” Sophie snapped. “I was Velma in ‘Chicago’ !!”

“Well, I think it might be time to let someone else take the stage, Sophie,” Missus Chu dismissed. “Anyway, our first meeting is after school tomorrow –  Friday !! Please show up, it would be great for all of us to get to know  eachother to kickstart this production – I will see you at the drama room !!”

She left the billboard and went towards the faculty room.

“ Tsh , like I’m going to show up to a little handshake and tea  party ? ” a blonde girl with purple hair commented.

“Hey, it would be nice to see everyone there,” Alice encouraged. “Maybe you should come – we have free refreshments. Even if you don’t come for the show, you can come for the cheese and cracker plate.”

“We’ll see,” the girl said. “See you around, theatre dorks.”

She left, with the lift of her sunglasses, and finger guns to the teenagers that stood around the billboard.

“I - I don’t see how I could get the lead role ?” Phoebe stuttered. “S - Sorry, Sophie ?”

“You better be sorry,” Sophie scoffed. “Now I have to go home and tell my parents that this entire audition was a waste of my time.”

She turned on her heel and motioned for Katsuki to follow her back to their table, where both girls sat with Whitney and some of the other high class people who thought they were better than everyone.

“Bye Billie, congratulations on getting Rocky !!” Katsuki dismissed.

“And congrats on Magenta !!” Billie exclaimed. “I guess I’ll be seeing you around !!”

“That girl is so into you,” Shane laughed.

“No, she’s not,” Billie disagreed. “She’s just a sweet girl.”

“Sweet wouldn’t be the word I’d use to describe Katsuki and her friends,” Taffeta commented.

“Oh, look, homecoming’s coming soon !!” Steve exclaimed. “I think I might ask Hannah Rowland to the dance – are you guys going to ask  anyone ? ”

“I actually do have someone in mind,” Phoebe answered.

“Me too !!” Shane exclaimed. “I just hope she says yes.”

“Maybe I should ask  Katsuki ? ” Billie asked. “It would be cool to hang out with someone that’s in the play with us, don’t you  think ? ”

“Sure buddy,” Taffeta dismissed. “I think I might fly solo, meet up with Phoebe and Anya there ?”

“Well, what if someone asked you to the  dance ? ” Alice asked.

“I mean, I guess I couldn’t say no,” Taffeta claimed.

“What about you, Matty ?” Steve asked.

“I mean, I haven’t really talked to this girl that much,” Matty admitted. “But I have her in my Government class and I think she’s really pretty, so maybe I might ask her ?”

“She’d have to be blind to say yes to a guy like you, you big dope,” he laughed.

“Well, she isn’t blind,” Matty claimed. “ So then you’ll know she said yes because she wanted to.”

“Well, good luck with that,” Steve joked.

The two boys punched  eachother playfully in their arms before they started to walk back to their commons area. Matty looked over his shoulder before he spun around on his heel and started to walk backwards.

“So, see you ladies and dudes at practice, I guess ?” he dismissed. “I mean, I – it'll be cool to see all of you guys there, maybe we’ll become friends ?”

“Duck !!” Steve exclaimed.

Then Matty proceeded to hit himself on the back of the head with one of the various exit signs that hung on the ceilings of the school hallways.

“They seem nice too !!” Billie exclaimed.

“Apparently, everyone’s nice to you,” Anya teased.

“Strangers are just friends you haven’t made yet,” Billie claimed.

He looked down at his frog themed watch before he noticed that lunch was close to being over, and he jumped at the realization that his locker was all the way across the school and he needed to get his English book before he had to come back to the other side of the school for his English class.

“I have to get going !!” he exclaimed. “See you guys at your band practice tonight !!”

He ran down the hallway, leaving Alice with the main four.

“Well, I should probably head to my car,” Alice dismissed. “Thank God that I only have half – days so I can go and work. Those Pan Dulce aren’t going to sell themselves.”

“Bye Alice,” Anya dismissed. “Speaking of which, Shane, don’t we have sculpting next hour ?”

“Let’s see how long it takes for Miss Daughtrey to realize that our partner sculpture is a penis,” Shane snickered. “I bet you ten bucks that she’ll realize right before it’s in the art show.”

“I’m in,” Anya laughed. “I bet you ten bucks that she won’t realize it  _ until  _ it’s in the art show.”

They both started to go back towards the ‘Fine Arts’ wing of the building, laughing about their current nefarious, juvenile high schooler plan.

“So, rumor has it that I’m going to have a Chemistry pop quiz,” Phoebe sighed. “I just hope that all of my knowledge stuck. My dad and I were up until one this morning, going over flashcards.”

“Good luck,” Taffeta said. “We’re reviewing in government today, so hopefully this review helps clear up the things I’m still getting confused with.”

“Good luck !!” Phoebe said. “See you after school.”

“See you later !!” Taffeta said.

Taffeta wheeled to the wheelchair ramp and then went all the way down to where her locker was. Luckily, she was smart about her locker placement and her locker was right next to her government classroom, so all she had to do was wait by the door while the bell rang.

She pulled out her phone to see that both of her parents texted her ‘I hope you’re having a great day’ messages and she texted back the same thing  ( albeit with cute cat pictures attached ). She played a few games on her phone before she saw a familiar lanky figure come to the classroom.

“Oh, hey Matty,” she greeted. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“ Eheh , well, I have been in this classroom with you for the past few weeks,” he laughed. “I mean, we don’t talk much, but I guess we never really get the opportunity to talk much since it is class.”

“Well, now that we’re both in Rocky Horror, I’m sure we’ll get the opportunity to talk way more,” Taffeta reassured. “Congratulations on Eddie, by the way !!”

“Thanks !!” he exclaimed. “Congratulations on Doctor Scott. It’s kind of funny that the only person with a wheelchair got the only part that requires a wheelchair – I thought you’d make a pretty good Columbia.”

“Cosmic irony, that’s what my parents and I always say,” she claimed. “I’m just happy that I got a part in the play.”

“That’s valid,” Matty agreed. “I think theatre’s a rush, ever since I was Nicely in ‘Guys and Dolls’, I’ve really liked theatre - sometimes basketball gets in the way, but I love both basketball and theatre, so the balance is that I do the winter plays and play basketball in the spring.”

“Perfect balance !!” Taffeta exclaimed. “This is my first play here at the school, and most of you guys already seem so nice – well, Billie’s my cousin, so that’s how I knew about the audition.”

“Oh, he’s your  cousin ? ” Matty asked.

“He’s adopted,” Taffeta explained. “The only people in my family that only have biological kids is one of my uncles and aunt, and they’re Shane’s parents.”

“ So you have an adopted sibling too ?” Matty inquired.

“Oh, no,” Taffeta clarified. “My parents are siblings -”

He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion before she laughed at his reaction, which was totally normal, given that he didn’t know the full story.

“So, my momma did in – vitro fertilization to try and make a relationship work out between her and her ex – boyfriend, but then he dumped her before she got the chance to tell him that she was pregnant,” Taffeta started. “And my poppa just went through a super nasty divorce and moved in with my momma since his ex – wife kicked them out of the house, and then they both decided to raise me together, so I could kind of have a sense of a normal life, you  know ? My poppa’s technically both my adoptive dad and my uncle, but I see him like my poppa and nothing else.”

“Oooh, that makes sense,” he said. “I have two uncles that did surrogacy.”

“I have an aunt and an untie that did surrogacy, because my untie had polycystic ovarian syndrome and my aunt didn’t feel comfortable getting pregnant,” Taffeta explained. “And now I have a baby cousin, who’s hell on wheels.”

“I have a nephew that’s hell on wheels,” Matty laughed. “Does your poor unfortunate grandma have to watch the rascal ?”

Taffeta laughed and nodded.

“Mine does too !!” Matty exclaimed. “Which I mean, I don’t think is totally fair, because my grandmama just got diagnosed with lymphoma, so she’s not in the best state.”

“So weird,” Taffeta inquired. “My granny just got diagnosed with cancer too – she's still kicking, and doing her best to make the most out of every day, but still . . .”

“Grandmas don’t deserve to get cancer ?” Matty finished.

“Yeah, exactly,” Taffeta agreed.

“Feels like you really get me,” Matty chuckled. “You’re pretty cool, Taffeta Willoughby.”

“You too, Matty Wallis.”

\---

“Are you sure you want to do this, Jane ?” Nanny asked.

Jane sat with her back turned to Nanny, and her eyes were squeezed shut.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Jane confirmed. “It’s just getting in the way anyways. It’s not like I really do anything with it anymore besides put it up.”

“You know you don’t have to do this for me, right,  honey ? ” Nanny reassured.

“I’m doing this because I want to,” Jane claimed.

Her chest felt like it was filled with water and that it was about to burst. Her heart felt heavy as she was going to make this drastic change in her life. She let out a breath and squeezed her hands on the rims of the seat she sat on. She pulled her crescent shaped bangs from her ponytail and held onto them.

“But I want to keep these !!” she exclaimed.

“It doesn’t have to be a drastic change just yet,” Nanny soothed. “We could  only take a little bit off -”

“I want it short,” Jane confirmed.

“Okay, if you insist,” Nanny said.

Snip.

Jane’s eyes fluttered open as Nanny held the long ponytail of hair that both women had chopped off her head. Jane held it in her hands before she felt tears come to her eyes – so many years of growing it out, so many years of never going past a trim, and there it was, right in front of her.

“I want to keep it,” Jane stated, matter of factly.

“What are you going to do with it ?” Nanny asked.

She didn’t feel like admitting that she still had the fear that someone was going to make her hair into yarn for sweaters, because she was forty – five and shouldn’t be scared of that anymore, so her response was simple.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, here you go, Jane,” Nanny said.

She laid the rest of the locks down in Jane’s hands, before she crossed her arms.

“What do you think Tim will say about this  change ? ” Nanny asked.

“I don’t know,” Jane repeated. “It’s not like I can put it back now.”

“I think you look gorgeous,” Nanny insisted. “I remember when I first did your hair – I took some of the daisies from the flower vase in your parents’ room and put them in your hair.”

“I’m sorry I cut it all off,” Jane sighed. “It must’ve meant so much to you -”

“Jane, honey, it’s your hair,” Nanny soothed. “If you wanted to cut it off, then you have every right to cut it all off. You could shave your head if you wanted to, because it’s your hair.”

“It held so many memories,” Jane pouted. “I want to put it back !!”

“Hey if you want my honest opinion, I think it makes you look younger,” Nanny encouraged. “Maybe we should bring out some of your old clothes and you could try them on again.”

“Oh, I’m too old for some of the stuff I wore back in the day,” Jane chuckled. “I don’t think that crop tops and a stomach full of stretch marks is a good combination anymore.”

“Let’s go and try anyways,” Nanny encouraged. “It’ll give us something to do before Joel wakes up and causes havoc around the house again.”

“Ruth should really hire a young babysitter,” Jane insisted. “One that can actually keep up with the little hellraiser.”

“Oh, I can keep up with him just fine,” Nanny claimed. “Just because I have cancer, doesn’t mean that I’m reduced to a vegetable.”

Jane allowed Nanny to win that battle, because she didn’t want to be the first one to tell Nanny and  Melanoff that they’re older than the first smartphone, or remind them both that they were around before the internet, which had been around for a good while at this point.

They went into their storage room, where Nanny lifted up a tub of clothes that she brought into  her’s and  Melanoff’s bedroom. She set it down on the bed, before she put her hands on her hips.

“You can go through it and decide which outfits you do and don’t want to wear,” Nanny said. “We could have like a mini – fashion  show !! A Blast  From The Past ; starring Jane Willoughby.”

Jane giggled and shook her head. It looks like she wasn’t winning any arguments against her mom today.

“Fine, but you have to wait at the bottom of the stairs,” Jane compromised.

“Deal,” Nanny agreed.

She left the room, which left Jane with all her old clothes from high school. She opened the box full of shoes, shirts, shorts, pants, outfits, and memories. She pulled out a few shirts along with some shorts, most of which were high waisted  ( thankfully ), before she decided that her first outfit would be a red crop top with three white hearts across the bust, with some denim shorts. She took off her curve hugging black dress before she put the outfit on, and adjusted it  so it was comfortable  ( which meant tugging the denim fabric out of her  behind ) .

She looked in Nanny’s full body mirror to see all the positive sticky notes with messages like ‘Make today a good day’ and ‘Don’t forget to SMILE’, before she smiled herself.

This was one of the outfits she wore on one of the many Valentine’s Days at the school. She and Troy were ‘on a break’ because she found out that he’d been sexting Angelina Cortez from the swim team  ( and of course, within a month, Jane ran back to him, because she felt like she had to, since she and Troy were a ‘power couple ’ ) . When she opened her locker that day, to swap out her books, she saw a cute stuffed cat with a bouquet of roses and box of chocolates. There was a message on her whiteboard that read ’Someone will always love you’, before she saw a note with her name that read, ’You can say it was from a secret admirer, to make that pig realize what he lost. Love always, Tim’.

She still looked good in the outfit, but she blamed it on the fact that her mom pouch was tucked into the shorts, so that nobody could see the extra bit of chub that she had never been able to get rid of after Taffeta was born. She took a turn with her hip and smiled, before letting out a soft ‘Ooo’.

She opened the door and then walked down the stairs, strutting as if she truly were in a fashion show, and Nanny clapped and cheered at her little catwalk strut.

“ See !! You still look just as gorgeous as you did back in high school,” Nanny pointed out.

“My extra fat’s tucked into my pants,” Jane admitted.

“What extra fat ?” Nanny asked.

“The baby fat, from Taffeta,” Jane explained.

“You can’t even tell,” Nanny reassured. “Besides, it adds character. It’s a reminder that, once upon a time, you had a little one in there, and that’s an accomplishment you should be proud of.”

“I mean, I am proud of the fact that I had Taffeta,” Jane claimed. “I just wish I was young and beautiful again. That I didn’t have wrinkles, or stretch marks, or that I didn’t find grey hairs on my head.”

“Does being in your old clothes make you feel any  better ? ” Nanny asked.

“ Well . . .” Jane contemplated. “It  _ is  _ fun.”

“Do you want to keep trying things  on ? ” Nanny asked.

A small smile rose to Jane’s face before she shrugged.

“Kinda.”

“Then get back up there and try on some more !!” Nanny encouraged.

Jane giggled like she would’ve back in high school as she ran back up the stairs and changed through different outfits, ranging from more shorts and crop tops to her cheerleading uniform, which she remembered the cheer for. “H -  E !! R – I –  T !! A – G –  E !! Who will it  be ? H –  E !! R – I –  T !! A – G –  E !! Heritage will win this  thing !! Go Stallions !!”. She tried on a pair of overalls that she wore on her first day of her sophomore year, before she  contemplated why she lived her life with permanent wedgies.

She finally went back for her lash outfit, before she pulled the plastic protective covering out of the bin and held it up in front of herself. She felt a happiness bubble in her chest, as well as a nervousness about how she would look in it. It had been years, and the night wasn’t exactly the best, due to Troy being a total, unfaithful horn dog right in front of Jane, but there were still some good parts, like that she, Nikki, and Andrea ditched prom to go and spend some time over at Ham Bros., thought there was one specific moment that stuck out very clearly in her mind. 

It was a soft, alternative song on the radio of Tim’s old coupe, and she laid on his chest as they swapped turns between a flask full of Peaches and Cream Rhinestone vodka. The rest of the night was blurry, and she remembered that she spent a lot of the night angry and hurt that Troy continued to cheat on her, among other reasons that were so miniscule that she couldn’t remember them, but that moment, she felt at peace, which was odd, given the fact she still wasn’t comfortable with that side of Tim, but in that  moment, there was nobody else she would’ve rather been with.

She took off the cheerleading outfit and slipped into the prom dress and it fit like a glove, a tight glove, but a glove nonetheless. She barely even noticed her mom chunk or her wrinkles. She felt young, and beautiful, which wasn’t something she’d felt in a very long time. 

She examined her body in the outfit and she flipped her bangs to a more comfortable position that wasn’t in her eyes. She smiled at herself in the mirror. She didn’t see a washed up forty –  five year old loser, she saw herself. For the first time in a good while, she knew the person looking back at her in the mirror.

“There you are,” she recognized.

She came out of the bedroom, and she carried herself with a youthful air about her. She didn’t feel like she was the woman that had to get up in the morning and take multivitamins and drink decaf coffee, because caffeinated coffee gave her the shakes. She walked down the stairs with a smile on her face, before she looked at Nanny, who simply looked at her in awe.

“It’s like you grew into that dress,” Nanny claimed.

“Looks nice, doesn’t  it ? ” Jane asked.

“I thought you looked pretty in it on prom night, but you look beautiful !!” Nanny exclaimed.

“I think I might take this with me back home,” Jane claimed. “A., Patience, B., and the cousins are coming over – maybe I should invite Celeste, Lars, Bea, and Randy over tonight too.”

“That would be such a nice idea !!” Nanny agreed. “It would be like a party to unveil your new look !!”

“Do you think they’ll like it ?” Jane asked.

“The more important question is ‘Do you like it ’ ? ” Nanny asked.

“I love it !!” Jane exclaimed.

“If you carry yourself in a way that shows the world ‘I love me’, then everyone else will love this new found confidence you have within yourself,” Nanny explained. “I’ve been doing it for years, and I think it’s really helped me through a lot within my life.”

“ Maybe . . . maybe I should try it more,” Jane said.

“You’ve grown into a beautiful woman,” Nanny reassured. “Don’t let the world convince you that you’re not. Just because the glory days are over, doesn’t mean your golden years will never come. This is a new chapter in your life, and you are allowed to make the most of it.”

Jane felt tears come to her eyes, as she wrapped her mom in a hug. She attempted not to cry, as she didn’t want to stain the pink, silk, heart printed bandana that shielded her mom’s bald head from the sun with streaky mascara tears.

“Thank you, mom,” she said. “I really needed this.”

“Anytime, girlfriend,” Nanny soothed.

Their tender moment was interrupted by the sound of the toilet clogging and a baby squealing in glee.

“Joel !!”


	5. Condemnant Quo Non Intellegunt

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔽𝕚𝕧𝕖  :

ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕞𝕟𝕒𝕟𝕥 ℚ𝕦𝕠 ℕ𝕠𝕟 𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕘𝕦𝕟𝕥

◟ ◞

“Honey, I’m ho – Whoa !!” Tim exclaimed as he walked through the door.

Jane was in her sparkly rose gold prom dress, and a white fur scarf as she sat on the island countertop with a glass of sparkling white grape juice. She had dug out some white heels from the closet, and switched her simple black choker for a shiny diamond necklace and matching earrings. Smokey sat on her lap, while Grandpa was curled next to her thigh.

Tim simply let off a soft ‘Shh’ as he looked at her.

“Your hair – your dress -” he sputtered. “Did you – is that  new ? ”

“What ?” she asked.

“The dress,” he explained. “Is it new ?”

“It was my prom dress, you dodo,” she laughed. “But you were too busy, paying attention to Queen in that cupcake dress to notice, huh ?”

“I  mean . . . I guess my brain was somewhere else that night,” he claimed. “We were both kind of tipsy.”

“Anyways, notice anything else  different ? ” she asked.

She flipped her hair, in an attempt to get him to notice.

“Your hair’s gone !!” he exclaimed. 

“ _ You like  _ _ it _ ? ” she asked.

“ _ Yes _ ,” he purred.

He looked down at her outfit, how well put together it was, how her old prom dress still fit her so well . . . then the memories of prom came back, and he shook his head. The details from that night were foggy, but there were a few things he remembered that he wished he didn’t. Some of his teenage memories were so jumbled and the feelings about them were confused and shuffled, but he couldn’t exactly take full blame, since he had scrambled a lot of the past up with heavy cocaine usage and bathtubs worth of liquor.

“Well, I feel a bit underdressed,” he laughed. “Should I wear a suit ?”

“I don’t see why  not ? ” Jane insisted. “Maybe we could make it a formal party kind of night. I already invited the Wolfes and the  Vinderstromms over.”

“I hope we have enough ingredients to make enough chicken alfredo for everyone,” Tim claimed. “Maybe I should run to the store – Is Taffeta still  out ? Maybe I could ask for her, Anya, and Phoebe to pick up some more stuff on the way back home.”

“Looks like you’re a little late there,” Jane noted.

Tim turned to see the shiny, grey van with the giant rose decal plastered across the side drive across the street and pull into the  Vinderstromm –  McMilk house.

“Damn it,” he sighed.

“We could always  FoodForward dinner for tonight ?” Jane claimed. “We just order our food on the phone and someone comes to bring it to us.”

“Hm, maybe,” Tim said. “Where do we want to eat  from ? ”

“Well, let me check our options first,” Jane said.

She pulled up the app on her phone, before she looked through all the options.

“Tasty Tortellini’s is doing  FoodForward services,” Jane claimed. “They’re also doing a party deal, where you get two big bowls of spaghetti and baked ziti, with a bunch of breadsticks, then we can still do the whole pasta thing you wanted to  do. ”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Tim agreed.

“Tasty Tortellini’s it is,” Jane confirmed.

She put their order in her phone, before she got off the counter, and put both Smokey and Grandpa on the floor. She walked to the record player before she flipped through a few records and pulled out one of the classical music records and put it on the player.

“I love this record,” Tim said. “I used to listen to it all the time when I’d be doing work from home back at the Brownstone. I’d always have to listen to it quietly, because Queen hated it, but still, the melody’s soothing.”

“Bitch,” Jane commented.

“Language,” Tim scolded.

“You really  got to stop with that,” Jane snickered. “We’re adults, and Taffeta’s smart enough to not swear in front of us.”

“Shut up, and get over here, you,” he teased.

He held his hands out to her, before she went to him and they were wrapped in a close slow dance pose. She stuck her tongue out at him and he scrunched his nose while he smiled. They swayed in one spot before the front door opened, with Taffeta coming inside.

“Hey, I’m home,” she said.

Her ears rang at the familiar melody of the record, before the single few notes of the menacing violin started to repeat themself in her head. She shut her eyes as she heard the few phrases of “ **_ Fuck you  _ ** !!” and “ **_ Tim, shut up, you’re drunk  _ ** !!”. It was like she was thrust into the memory of hiding under the couch, the warmth of her own tears over her system, the isolation under the couch, the fear of it all.

“ **_ Please  _ ** ? **_ Sorry _ ** .”

She could see it so clearly. The image of her momma, trying to get away from him, sat so clearly in her mind. She thought she was over it. She wanted to be over it. She had to be over it.

“ **_ Don’t touch her  _ ** !!” she shouted.

Taffeta quickly covered her mouth and looked to her parents to see that she wasn’t still in that predicament she was in as a kid. Tears brimmed her eyes, and she couldn’t tell if it was because she was  embarrassed , or something else.

They looked back to her and furrowed their eyebrows in confusion.

“ Taffeta ? ” Jane questioned.

“N - Nothing – Smokey, and Mortimer,” Taffeta excused. “I have homework.”

She backed her wheelchair against the stairlift, before it took her up to her room, leaving both of her parents in confusion as she went to her room.

Jane then looked to the cat tree, where Smokey and Mortimer were both at, in separate spaces, before she realized something was wrong. She let go of Tim, before she walked up the staircase once again. She walked down the hallway where she tapped her knuckles against Taffeta’s door.

“Taffeta ?” she asked.

Her tone was soft, and soothing, because she knew with the sudden outburst, that must’ve meant something was super wrong. Maybe her day at school was  tough ? She knew that was one of the reasons she’d be irritable and in tears at Taffeta’s age.

“Can I come  in ? ” she asked again.

There wasn’t an answer, but Jane wasn’t going to let Taffeta cry it out on her own.

She turned the knob, before she walked into the room, and shut the door behind herself. She hoped that Tim wouldn’t decide to come up here, because she never really reacted well towards Tim when she was . . . like this, whatever this was.

“Hi baby, what’s  wrong ? ” she soothed.

Jane walked behind the wheelchair and then stood to the side of Taffeta, before she put her hands on both of Taffeta’s shoulders and squeezed gently.

“ Hm ? ” she asked.

“I - I don’t know -” Taffeta whined.

“Did you have a rough day today ?” Jane asked. “Oh,  Taff , remember what your poppa always says – we all have our bad days, but you don’t have to go through it alone. We’re here for you.”

She allowed for Taffeta to cry into her chest. She ran her fingers through her daughter’s hair and hushed her in order to soothe her. She started to hum quietly, before the hums slowly became words, and the words became a song.

“  _ Through _ _ the glass, over the wall, looking for something new. Wake from the dream, forget about the past, at the end of the rainbow is you. What’s in a name, a  _ _ familiar refrain _ _ ? We all play our roles, in a box full of holes. When the future is lost and all lines have been crossed, I know where I will be. Through the lows and the highs, I will stay by your side. There’s no need for goodbyes, now I’m seeing the light. When the sky turns to grey, and there’s nothing to say – at the end of  _ _ the day _ __ _. . _ _ . I choose you  _ _. . .  _ ”

The sobs soon quieted to hiccups and the hiccups to sighs, before Jane pulled back and wiped Taffeta’s tears from her face, not really bothered by the smudged eyeshadow tears that had stamped themselves on her bosom. She gave Taffeta a small kiss on the forehead, before she smiled softly, in order to let her know that her feelings are validated and that she was safe to talk to Jane.

“Do you want to talk about  it ? ” Jane asked.

Taffeta knew she couldn’t just tell Jane that she still wasn’t over what had happened a good thirteen years ago. Her family was better now, her poppa didn’t drink anymore, everyone was happy – she couldn’t just drag it all down because she didn’t know how to forget the past, even though she knows – or at least she thinks she knows that she’s well since forgiven him for what he did. The memories still bothered her, and they didn’t sit well, because she knew that there was something  **_ wrong _ ** .

She just wanted her momma to be happy, and if that meant not talking about the bad stuff.

Taffeta sniffed and shook her head before she tried to smile, though her attempt wasn’t successful and she could only force tightening her lips.

“No,” Taffeta said, “I - I’ll be fine.”

“Are you  sure ? ” Jane asked. “Don’t feel like you have to hide anything from me – I was an eighteen – year - old girl once too, I might know how to help you.”

“It’s nothing,” Taffeta reassured. “I promise.”

“Well, I won’t force you to talk,” Jane insisted. “But don’t bottle everything up, it’s not good for you. I’d rather you tell me everything and it be sad, than you not tell me anything and think you’re in this alone.”

Jane had a brief déjà vu moment at that sentence, as she thought back to when she was screaming at Nanny and  Melanoff for ‘not understanding hers and Troy’s relationship’ and ‘not getting her problems’, even though all they were doing was trying to help. She wasn’t going to be like them if it ever came to that. She was constantly going to make an effort to be there for Taffeta, and there was nobody that was going to stop her – not even Taffeta.

“Thanks momma,” Taffeta sighed.

“ We’re . . .” 

Jane hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether to  segway , but she couldn’t think of anything else to say without trying to get some sort of answer towards what the hell caused the outburst, and now may just not be the moment to pry any further.

“We’re throwing a bit of a party tonight,” Jane explained. “Everyone’s coming over, and we’re all going to try and dress nice – you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but . . .”

“Don’t worry momma,” Taffeta reassured. “I can change before everyone gets here.”

“Okay,” Jane dismissed. “We’ll be downstairs if you need anything. Try and get your homework done before you and your band practice. We wouldn’t want your schoolwork to be suffering because of your band.”

“I will,” Taffeta claimed. “I only have Financial Lit homework today, so I shouldn’t have too much to do.”

“Well, get to it,” Jane encouraged. “I know it might be boring to have Phoebe, Anya, and the cousins waiting for you to finish your homework.”

“Kyle gets bored no matter what’s going on,” Taffeta laughed.

“Well, he always has the T.V, and if he doesn’t like that, he can kiss our asses,” Jane laughed.

“Momma !!” Taffeta scolded  ( playfully of  course ) .

Jane simply laughed and shook her head before she shut the door behind herself. 

She took a few steps back before she saw Tim step out of the room with a sleek, gunmetal grey suit, and a grey tie with some designs on it that Jane squinted to get a better look at.

“There’s cats on your tie !!” Jane exclaimed.

“They’re tabby cats too !!” He pointed out. “Like Smokey, Grandpa, Mortimer, and Edith.”

“Aw, where’d you get this tie  at ? ” Jane cooed.

“Bought it on the internet,” he answered. “I knew you’d like it, you cat lover.”

“Well, well, well, Mister Dog Person, you did have Edith in a chef hat yesterday,” Jane pointed out. “And then you posted about eleven pictures of her in a chef hat to Pictogram, like a doting cat dad.”

“Well, my cooking buddy deserves the spotlight sometimes,” he teased. “People would have questions if all I posted was pictures of you.”

“I mean, Taffeta likes pictures too,” Jane insisted.

“She’s an angsty teenager,” Tim reminded. “The last time I tried to take a picture of her, she hid her face from the camera.”

“I hate that she’s growing up,” Jane pouted. “I wish she could just be small and squishy forever.”

“I think I have just the thing for that,” Tim claimed.

“What are you  onto ? ” Jane asked.

She followed him into the master bedroom, where he opened the closet door and he pulled a book off the top shelf, before he swept the tiny bit of dust that collected on it, before the small, golden foil letters were shown in the light as he set it on Jane’s lap.

“ **_ Taffeta Joy  _ ** **_ Willoughby ; _ ** **_ My First Year _ ** ”.

“Tim, not now !!” Jane whined.

“Do you want me to put it  back ? ” he chuckled.

She squeezed the book to her chest before she shook her head and pouted her lip at him.

“No,” she pouted.

She opened the memory book, before she flipped past the pages about her own pregnancy which would always be full of its own memories, until she got to the first page about Taffeta’s arrival, and she almost instantly squealed at the sight of baby Taffeta, on her first day back home, cuddling up with a blanket in her co - sleeper. Jane had to soak in all the details of the picture. It was her baby, when she was a baby, with her pudgy hands, chubby cheeks, cotton candy silk hair, her little freckles, ten tiny fingers, and ten tiny toes. 

She huffed quietly, before Tim sat down next to her and put his arm around her and smiled at the picture too. He’d always take the book out when he felt urges to return back to past ways, but this book, and some of the other secret memories he held in his closet, reminded him what he was clean for, and how much he had to lose now, with how far he was in the life he had built for himself. He couldn’t lose Jane, or Taffeta, they were what was important, and he was never, ever going to lose sight of it again.

She flipped through all the memories within the book, such as when her first laugh was, and how happy both she and Tim were when they’d witnessed the corners of her mouth turn up and the squeaky, little giggles came spilling out, and it was all over a few funny faces they had made at her cute, adorable eyes. They stumbled across the memory of her first word  ( which was ‘mama ’ ) , and when she first started to sit up by herself. They saw  documentation of when she started to eat solid foods, and when she started to cut teeth.

“Remember when she first said ‘poppa’ ?” Jane questioned.

Tim laughed at the memory, because he remembered how flooded he was with joy of hearing that one word. He never thought he’d hear that in his lifetime, after he accepted fully that he wasn’t capable of making babies, but that possibility was opened up again by taking the mantle of being Taffeta’s poppa – even then, there was one, deep thought that would reoccur every once in  awhile when Taffeta was still a small baby, that she wouldn’t accept him as her poppa. There were days that he was in her nursery, holding one of her bibs or a pair of her little baby socks, crying because he didn’t feel like she would love him like that, and Jane had to reassure him that he was doing more than enough to be Taffeta’s poppa.

Then one day, he and Taffeta were on the master bed, while Jane went outside to get the mail, and he was playing with her. Everything was a normal play session, where he played with her toy keys and stuffed animals, while she giggled and laughed at the sounds, and then she lifted her little hand and pointed her finger at him before she squealed the exclaimation.

“ **_ Papa  _ ** !!”

He could’ve died right then and been the happiest man alive, because he never once thought that a baby would point at him and call him that one word. He couldn’t help but to cry and curl up on the bed, shielding his face with one of their pillows. 

Then Jane came back in to Taffeta, on the bed, bouncing and laughing, as Tim was curled up, before she took the pillow off of him and Taffeta pointed at him once again and declared - “ **_ Papa  _ ** !!”

It was a nice night.

“Remember it like it was yesterday,” he agreed. “I also remembered when I had to fish her out of a vat of apple jam while it was cooling off.”

“Oh jeez,” Jane laughed.

“I left for five minutes,” he insisted. “And five minutes was all it took for her to get out of her counter chair, crawl to the giant pot of cooled jam, and dive right into it – all because the wild child thought it was soup.”

He had to remind her the entire time he was making the jam that the jam was not soup, but she kept pointing at the pot and asking “ **_ Soup  _ ** ?”, no matter how many times Tim had told her that the apple jam wasn’t soup. He was making cinnamon apple jam for everyone in the family  ( and it was his first attempt  alone ) , and it was instantly ruined by Taffeta taking a nose dive into the nearly set jam. He wanted to be upset, but when she was covered in apple jam, like a lake monster, he couldn’t help but to find the whole turn of events hilarious. He simply laughed it off and cleaned up the mess before he put Taffeta in the bathtub and washed her up before Jane got home from work.

“And I didn’t know about this until now because ?” Jane asked.

“Well, didn’t hurt you to not know,” he insisted.

“Yeah, yeah,” she admitted. “But if something like that happens again, you better let me know about it.”

“Well, I don’t think Taffeta’s little enough to fall into any jam pots anymore,” Tim teased. “I think our ‘baby’ days are long behind us now, especially since you don’t want another one . . . right ?”

Jane pouted once again as she continued to flip through the baby book at all the baby pictures of Taffeta.

“I mean, yeah, I don’t want another baby,” she admitted. “Just sometimes, these moments make me wish that she was this little again – our little lima bean.”

“I know what you mean,” he agreed. “Sometimes, I still wish she was just she was just a little lima bean that needed to be in her little  sockies , and needed to be swaddled in a blankie, so her  feeties don’t get cold.”

She tried to act annoyed at his baby talk, but to be fair, she agreed  one hundred percent.

“I miss when she was our little lima bean, that would get scared of her own burps, and needed to be calmed down so she knew that the burp monster wasn’t going to get her,” Jane cooed.

“Yeah,” Tim sighed.

They both looked through the album in blissful, happy silence, remembering the memories that had been left behind. That was all they had now, the memories that the past had given them, because unfortunately life wasn’t a thing they couldn’t rewind. If they could, they would. They’d do it all right this time.

Tim would’ve stayed in rehab longer the first time around, he would’ve never married Queen, he would’ve realized how perfect his life was once Jane was back in it again. He would’ve never relapsed when he found out about Taffeta’s illness. He would’ve been a better man a long time ago.

Jane would’ve dumped Troy, she would’ve apologized to Nanny and  Melanoff earlier – there would've been so much more family get togethers, she would’ve been so much nicer to her employees, she would’ve been a gentler person, with a kinder heart. She wouldn’t have forced herself into this jadedness she was in.

But if they did all of those  things ? Would their lives be what they were  now ? Was everything in the past only leading to better character ?

Jane wrapped her arms around Tim, before she planted a soft kiss on his cheek as they reached the end of the memory book.

“You did a great job, poppa,” she whispered.

He smiled and turned, before their noses touched.

Both siblings let off a soft ‘ Oop !!’ before they giggled at  eachother and rubbed noses in a soft bunny kiss.

He touched their foreheads together, and nuzzled before he locked eyes with her.

“So did you, momma,” he whispered.

They simply smiled at  eachother , before Tim shut the book and they rested in a peaceful, comfortable silence, leaning on  eachother for comfort.

They had built this life together, and even though they had their rough patches, they wouldn’t have it any other way. They couldn’t imagine a life without  eachother anymore. With as much nervousness that filled Jane about the uncertain future, at least she knew that he would be the one thing to remain so ever consistent in her life, just as he had before.

She reached up and stroked his cheek, her thumb grazed over his chin, which earned a quiet, pleased hum from him as he shut his eyes.

Taffeta exited her room, now in a sleek, knee – length red slip dress with a black, spiked belt and flats before she looked into her parents' room. It was like the dark shadow of what happened that night still clung to  te walls. She knitted her eyebrows in concern, because they were obviously happy, and they moved on, but for some reason, she just couldn’t.

She told herself that everything was okay now, and she didn’t need to worry about a thing anymore, because her poppa went to rehab, which meant that he was better now . . .

_ Right  _ ?


	6. Flectere Si Nequeo Superos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❇ || Howdy !! I wanted to put a trigger warning ahead of time, because there's mentions of what seems to be assault in the chapter ( in the conversation between Tim and A. ), but I can promise you that the story is much bigger than that, and far more complex than meets the eye !! It's full of twists and turns and everything is not what it seems !!

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕚𝕩  :

𝔽𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕊𝕚 ℕ𝕖𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕠 𝕊𝕦𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕤

◟ ◞

The jam session was coming to a close, before Kyle yawned at the music that they had played.

“That was so boring,” he complained. “When are you guys going to start playing good music ?”

“Well, hopefully pretty soon because I wrote a new song !!” Shane declared. “It’s called ‘Hurricane’, I got the lyrics down and everything.”

“I can’t wait to see what a spectacle that’ll be,” Kyle snorted.

“It’s good,” Shane insisted. “The lyrics are powerful, and raw. I worked super hard on it !!”

“Just because you worked hard on something doesn’t mean that it’s good,” Kyle claimed.

“Which is probably why mom’s so  disappointed in you,” Shane shaded.

The cousins and band ( with the obvious exception of Diana, who had remained rather stoic and  stonefaced the entire night ) all began to laugh at Shane’s remark, before Kyle elbowed MacKenzie in her side.

She continued to laugh before the giggles and laughter quieted down.

Shane went to a stool that he had placed a notebook with scribbles of lightning bolts, stars, and his name in big, spiked letters.

“Oh, we’re getting a preview of the song ?” Phoebe asked.

“Well, we better be,” Anya insisted. “If Shane’s trying to write a new song, we should all be okay with it, right ?”

“At least, this means we can start building up instrumentals and have a brainstorming session,” Taffeta insisted. “I mean, you guys can chill out inside while we brainstorm, since it might be kind of boring.”

“ Boring ? ” Patrick inquired. “Seeing another artist’s genius at work is far from  boring !! It would be an honor to watch you all work – I – I mean . . . if you guys are comfortable with it.”

“They’re a garage band,” Billie laughed. “They play to this entire street all the time !!”

“And if we’re going to play in the talent show at the end of the year, we have to start somewhere,” Anya claimed. “If that means playing to just you guys, someone mowing their lawn down the street and a bunch of houses – it’s better than nothing.”

“That’s the spirit !!”  MacKenzie agreed.

Shane cleared his throat, before he looked down at his notebook. He shook his shoulders, to build up his confidence before he took a breath in.

“It hit me like a hurricane, it hit me like a tidal wave, and I don’t know why I drown my mind in everything they say,” Shane read out. “It hit me like a hurricane, it hit me like a tidal wave, and I don’t know why I drown my mind, it got the best of me.”

The cousins and band  ( minus an unamused  Kyle ) clapped at the small little sneak peek into the chorus of Shane’s song. Shane stuck his tongue out at his younger brother. 

“We could totally work with the chorus and build up !!” Phoebe exclaimed. 

“ So you liked  it ? ” Shane asked. 

“Yeah !!” Phoebe exclaimed. “It was raw, and  gritty !! You could feel the amount of thought and emotion that went into  it . . . it takes a lot from an artist to be able to do something that. It’s admirable.”

“Is that  so ? ” Shane asked.

“Oh god, shut up and start singing already,” Kyle groaned. “If I wanted to watch a sappy movie, I would’ve stayed home and pressed ‘random’ on the D.V.R, with all the rom – coms momma records.”

“We will !!” Shane exclaimed. “After I go and get a drink.”

“And I have to pee,” Taffeta excused.

“Thanks for sharing,”  MacKenzie remarked.

“I’ll come back with all the details, just for you,” Taffeta joked. “Color, if it burns.”

“If anything, let us know if you’re peeing blood,” Billie laughed.

“I think you’ll know if I’m peeing blood by whether or not I get rushed to the hospital,” Taffeta pointed out. 

She stood from her wheelchair and managed to catch her balance with Shane’s help, before they both laughed at eachother. 

“Do you think you can make it to the bathroom ?” Shane asked. “Need me to walk you there, grandma ?”

Taffeta snorted and shook her head, before she let go of him.

“It’s only a few feet away, I think I got it,” she excused.

They both walked in together, before Shane walked through the dining room, to see that Jane, B., Patience, the  Vinderstromms , and the Wolfes were all in the dining room. He furrowed his eyebrows at the absence of both Tim and his own dad before he caught the attention of his mom.

“How’s the jam session  goin ’, hon’ ?” she asked.

“It’s good, just came in to get something to drink,  Taff’s in the bathroom,” Shane answered. “Where’s dad and Uncle  Tim ? ”

“They’re in the backyard,” Patience answered. “Talkin’ about whatever those two talk about.”

“Oh,” Shane dismissed. “Boring.”

Lars signed something and snickered, as Celeste paid attention, before she playfully slapped his shoulder.

“That’s not very nice,” she laughed. “He said, ‘Why do you think we’re not out there ?’.”

The rest of the adults laughed, as well as Shane, before he slinked over to the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator door, before he grabbed a can of Angel Kiss Cola. He started to hear the muffled voices of his uncle and his dad, so he slid back to the back door, out of the other adults' eyes. He pressed his ears against the door.

“Don’t you ever feel  guilt ?” Tim asked. “For what you did, I mean, I know I do, but you actually seem to be proud of what you did . . . why ?”

Shane furrowed his eyebrows and squinted at the sentence.

Suspicious.

“No, I don’t feel guilty,” A. claimed. “I was able to pay for holidays, save up for Shane to get puberty blockers and hormones when he needed – I provided for my family, and I’ll never, ever regret that. You know, it wasn’t ideal, but dad to dad, a dad does what he’d got to do.”

“But it had to have meant something since you and Patience went to couple’s therapy when you finally told her,” Tim insisted. “Don’t you regret it – putting her there ?”

“She understands now, Tim,” A. insisted. “I know I’ll eventually tell the kids, but now’s not the time – maybe when the kids are all adults. Hooking and stripping wasn’t all bad though. It made me feel more comfortable with who I am – showed me that men can still be feminine and kick some ass. Some of my coworkers were harder than I ever could me. They did the job with grit.”

Shane leaned off the door for a minute and placed his hand against his forehead, before he realized that he was sweating bullets. Maybe the door was muffling what they were saying. He looked to see that the powder room door opened. He ducked behind the kitchen island, before he let off a sharp ‘ psst ’ to catch her attention.

She got down on her knees and followed him to the space between the fridge and counter, out of the adult eyes.

“What are you doing ?” she whispered.

“Sshh,” he hushed. “Listen.”

Taffeta pressed her face against the wood of the back door, before she knitted her eyebrows in confusion at Shane, who copied her move.

“So, she’s fine with the fact you  cheated ? ” Tim asked.

“We both decided that it wasn’t technically cheating,” A. reasoned. “There wasn’t any emotional connection. I would never, ever leave Patience for one of my clients. There were boundaries set. No feelings, nothing. They bought a service that involved my body, none of it involved my emotions or feelings.”

“That still doesn’t sound right,” Tim insisted.

“Oh  shit . . .” Taffeta asked. “Your dad cheated on your mom ?”

He put his finger to his lips once again before he continued to listen in to the conversation, between the two adults. He clutched his hand to his chest. He didn’t want any of what they were saying to be true. He wanted answers. He wanted to hear a ‘just kidding’ from his dad’s lips.

It never came.

“What you did wasn’t right,” A. pointed out. “It still doesn’t sit right. The way you are with her. It always feels like there’s something more. Why are you really here, Tim ?”

“A., they’re my family,” Tim reasoned. “I can’t pick up and leave.”

“What more than  that ? ” A. asked.

“I . . .” Tim hesitated. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” A. said.

Both of the Willoughby cousins held their breath, a redness developed in their skin as they listened to how serious A.’s tone was. It was like an aura of death stuck to his voice like a poisonous, thick as tar adhesive. It was like a hard, sharp possibility was shoved down their throats with A.’s next sentence.

“You’re in love with her, aren’t  you ? ”

“I - In love with  who ? ” Taffeta whispered.

She felt her cheeks swell, her eyes brimmed with tears, before she felt Shane’s hand reach for her own. She pressed her cheek against the door, she squeezed Shane’s hand, and cringed in anxiousness before her heart dropped with the next exchange.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tim repeated.

He was more firm with his claim that time, he wasn’t backing down, he wasn’t going to let A. accuse him of what he was going to accuse him of, at least, not without a fight.

“You’re in love with Jane,” A. stated. “Face it, after that night back in high school – you're obsessed with her. You would’ve done whatever it took to have her, even if that meant getting her so drunk and high that she couldn’t stand. That’s why you took her to that party.”

Taffeta leaned forward and she and Shane wrapped  eachother in a hug, still both not being able to manage any tears. None of this felt real. It felt like a fever dream. They pinched at  eachother’s exposed skin, in hopes that they’d simply wake up.

The rose colored glasses were slapped off, and the blade was inserted in their chests.

Welcome to the real world.

Taffeta pressed her ear against the door again, her nails digging into the wooden finish as she listened in  desparation , she wanted to hear that it was all a joke.

“I am not,” Tim argued.

“Then what are you still doing  here ? ” A. asked. “Taffeta’s graduating soon, you could move out, actually live your own life, but here you still are, waiting on hand and foot for Jane.  Melanoff offered you a fully paid for move if you were to move to L.A and you don’t even want to leave. That’s fucking  _ creepy _ , Tim.”

“I’m taking care of my family, A.,” Tim stated. “I don’t expect you to understand this, but Jane’s my partner. We’ve been through so much together, and she’s the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with, even if that means we’re not romantic. She’s my soulmate, she’s the person I need in my life –”

“Tim, you’re calling her your fucking soulmate !!”

“I’m not in love with her !!”

“You have officially lost your fucking mind. You’re so convinced of your own bullshit, so you can get close to her, you goddamn pervert.”

“Not everything has to be about romance. Jane taught me that. Never once has anything in our eighteen years of partnership been about romance. I love her, but it’s not this weird thing you’re making it out to be.”

“How do I know you’re not lying ?”

“You won’t.”

“You’re fucked up, Tim,” A. finished.

“And here you are, sitting with me,” Tim dismissed

“ I . . . I can’t . . .  breathe . . .” Taffeta huffed. “I can’t . . . fucking breathe . . .”

What if he was  lying ? What if he just lied the entire  time ? What if he was this guy that A. said he was ?

The puzzle pieces fit together. It wasn’t normal that they were together all the time. The way that they laughed with eachother, the way they loved and interacted, it was as if every glance he had ever made at her momma always meant something more – and he hurt her. He hurt her more than once, and Taffeta just watched.

What would happen if one day she wasn’t there ?

What happened when she wasn’t there ?

Shane grabbed her and crawled them both to the small empty storage under the stairs, before he shut the door. He took his phone from his pocket and turned the flashlight on, so it illuminated the world.

“ Taff ?” he managed.

Shane’s hands met with hers. Both cousins’ hands were shaking, and hot. They were swollen with blood, a bright red. He squeezed her hands.

“I want to set him on fire,” she managed.

“I want to set the whole world on fire,” Shane agreed.

They finally looked at  eachother to see that both of their eye makeup had ran and smudged across their face, before they reached for  eachother’s faces, before they simply broke down in tears and collapsed into  eachother’s arms, slumped into one pile.

“ _ He hurt my  _ _ momma _ . . .” Taffeta cried.

Her voice was high, and squeaky, due to the pressure in her throat being so high due to the built - up emotion. It was so stuffed in her throat that she couldn’t even manage a scream, so it escaped into one motionless, silent shriek into Shane’s shoulder.

Shane simply nodded, as he knew the feeling. He couldn’t believe that his parents went to therapy, all because his dad cheated. Sex was supposed to be such a sacred thing, but . . . how could he do that to  Patience ? His body was hot. His grip on Taffeta was tight, because he knew things would break if he let go of her. He wanted to drive his fist so hard against his own father’s face so hard that blood came out, until the floor below them was stained red and that man couldn’t get back up.

Taffeta sunk into Shane, as the memory of that night, all those years ago came back, just as clear as the day that it had happened. It was like the shadows were still there, the image of his arms wrapped around her mom projected against her eyelids, but she couldn’t seem to open her eyes. It was like her mind was a mess. It was a living hell, and there was no exit. 

“ _ Shane  _ . . .” Taffeta whined.

“ _ Taff _ __ . . .” Shane managed.

“ _ I’m not okay. _ ”

“ _ Me either. _ ”

They sat in a hug for a good while, clinging to  eachother , before they heard the sounds of their friends.

“Have you guys seen  Taff and Shane ?” Phoebe asked. 

“Actually, I haven’t ?” Jane answered. “Maybe I should check on -”

Shane managed to let go of Taffeta, before he wiped his eyes and took in a deep breath. He climbed out from the storage and managed to get Phoebe’s attention.

“We’re upstairs,” he lied. “You know, went to go and do our makeup  again ? You can come up with us if you want to touch yours up too, Phoebe.”

“Not a bad idea,” Phoebe agreed.

She followed him back to the stairwell before he helped Taffeta up and shut the door.

“She had a panic attack, help me up the stairs,” he whispered.

“Oh -” Phoebe said.

She was taken off guard but she still allowed Taffeta to lean of her as they both rushed Taffeta back to her room and set her on the bed.

Phoebe cupped Taffeta’s face and wiped the streaky tears away from her face. She brushed Taffeta’s hair from her face, before she turned to Shane.

“Hey, can you get me some wet wash cloths ?” Phoebe asked. “One of the ones in the linen closet. Miss Jane will have an  aneurysm if we use a display towel.”

Shane nodded before he left the room to get the wash cloths.

Phoebe held Taffeta’s hands.

“What  happened ? ” she asked. “ Nevermind , you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Are you feeling okay – does your chest feel  full ? Does your throat hurt ?”

Taffeta nodded.

“Let me get you some water,” Phoebe offered. 

Phoebe left the room, before she met with Shane in the hallway. She grabbed his shoulder to stop him for a moment, before he rushed back in there.

“Hey, uhm,” she started. “So, don’t force her to talk, but give her those so she can clean her face.”

“You got it,” Shane confirmed.

Phoebe walked down the stairs before she went to the fridge to get a bottle of water.

“Jam session hurting your throat,  kid ? ” Randy teased.

“Hah, yeah,” Phoebe lied.

“Funny, that’s why I came in here,” Anya laughed, as she rounded the corner.

“Well, we’re reapplying makeup,” Phoebe lied. “You can come with me back up the stairs.”

“Eh, I’m sure Billie and Patrick can keep them entertained for a minute while we’re up there,” Anya excused. “I mean, they’ve already started on  Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on the drums.”

“My kids are weird ones,” B. laughed.

“Their mom was a weird one,” Jane said.

“Don’t have to tell me that one twice,” he confirmed.

Phoebe and Anya left the adults behind, as they walked up the stairs.

“Why are you touching up your makeup ?” Anya asked. “That rose water stuff makes your makeup barely even budge -”

“Taffeta had a panic attack,” Phoebe stated. “So be gentle.”

“Oh shit,” Anya muttered. “Well, do we know what happened ?”

“We don’t need to know what happened,” Phoebe claimed. “We just need to be there for her.”

“So we can’t ask her why ?” Anya asked.

“She’ll let us know when she’s ready,” Phoebe said.

They entered the room before they saw Shane and Taffeta both wiping their faces off with the wash cloths.

“Are you guys okay ?” Anya asked.

She knitted her eyebrows in concern before she walked the bed and sat next to Taffeta, before she put her arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

Phoebe sat next to Shane before she put her hand on his shoulder, as she looked at Taffeta.

He smiled softly before he put his hand on Phoebe’s. He felt a little less angry with Phoebe around. He interlocked his fingers with her own before he focused his attention on Taffeta too.

Taffeta shook her head.

“Do you want to talk about it ?” Anya offered. “We won’t roast you, cross my heart.”

Taffeta shook her head.

“Just know that we’re here for you,” Phoebe reminded. “You’re not alone in all of this.”

“Yeah, we’re in this together,  Taff ,” Shane reassured. “If you need someone to talk to, don’t feel like you have to keep it all to yourself.”

“What do you need us to  do ? ” Anya asked.

Taffeta shook her head and looked down, before she sniffed.

“I think I just need a hug,” she whispered.

The was quickly wrapped up in a hug from her best friends in the entire world, her squad, her band. The weight of the hug tossed them back on the bed and they all clung together in one big hug ball, squishing and smooshing into  eachother . It was quiet, but that was what they all needed. They just needed silence and  eachother , until Taffeta and Shane could at least put on a happy face for everyone else out there.

Eventually, they all sat back up and Anya ran her fingers through Taffeta’s hair and Phoebe  carressed her face. They allowed her to have just a moment more of silence.

“Are you ready to go back out there ?” Shane asked.

“Without any makeup  on ? ” Taffeta asked.

He smiled at her before he shook his head.

“Good point,” he agreed. “I know Kyle would rip on me relentlessly if I don’t put my makeup back on.”

“He rips on us relentlessly for breathing,” Phoebe chuckled.

“Yeah,” Shane agreed.

Taffeta and Shane both managed to sit on the stool while Anya and Phoebe patiently waited for them to put back on their makeup so they could go back out there and rock harder than they did before.

“You guys want to try some  rosewater ? ” Phoebe asked.

“Sure, why not ?” Taffeta answered.

Phoebe grabbed her purse that she’d left in Taffeta’s room, before she tossed the bottle to Shane, who spritzed it on his face before he gave it to Taffeta.

“Rock  on ? ” Anya asked.

“Rock on,” Taffeta agreed.

Anya helped Taffeta up from the stool, before she allowed Taffeta to lean on her, so she didn’t fall over due to her gait.

Phoebe got up to join them before Shane cleared his throat and looked away.

“Hey  Pheebs ? ” he asked.

“What’s  up ? ” she asked.

“Thanks,” Shane said. “For helping with Taffeta. I know it was probably a lot, and not something you planned on doing tonight.”

“She’s our friend, Shane, I wasn’t going to just let her panic if I could help,” Phoebe reasoned. “I’m glad I could. I know how hard it is to panic and feel like you don’t have anyone.”

“Well, you got me,” Shane claimed. “I mean, I don’t know much about the whole panic attack thing, but I can try to understand. If you need me, I’m here.”

“Thanks Shane,” she said. “It means a lot to me.”

She started to leave again, before he stopped her again.

“Pheebs ?”

“Yeah ?”

He smiled at her, before he looked away, chuckled and shook his head.

“You look nice tonight,” he said.

“You too,” she agreed.

“Thanks.”

They both left the room before they watched Anya start to help Phoebe down the stairs, and Phoebe went to go and help her get Taffeta down the stairs, as Shane stayed behind in case they needed anymore help. Eventually they got back down to the bottom, and Jane was in the kitchen.

“ Taff , why aren’t you in your wheelchair ?” she asked.

“I just wanted to stretch my legs a bit,” Taffeta answered.

“I don’t think having Anya and Phoebe carry you means stretching your legs,” Jane reasoned.

“I didn’t think I’d be going up the stairs,” Taffeta claimed. “It was a  last minute touch up. I accidentally splashed water on my face.”

Jane laughed and shook her head.

“I would do something like that,” she laughed. “Well, Bea’s making brownies, they’re almost done.”

The back door opened and both Tim and A. came back inside, before A. joined the other adults in the dining room and they caught him up on what he’d missed while he was outside.

Shane felt a bubble rise in his chest, before he walked through the living room and to the garage. He ignored A. greeting him and simply slammed the door behind him.

“What’s going  on ? ” Tim asked.

He wrapped his arms around Jane before he rested his chin atop her head as he hugged her from behind,

Jane laughed before she reached up and caressed his cheek.

“Just telling the girls that Bea went to get the stuff for brownies and they’re almost done,” Jane answered.

Taffeta’s grip on her friends tightened, as she watched her poppa be affectionate with her momma. The thoughts returned before she managed to speak up.

“Well, we’ll be in the garage if you need us !!” Taffeta dismissed.

She pushed her friends forward and they followed her motions as they rushed back to the garage.

“Brownies smell good, mom !!” Anya exclaimed as she walked out the door.

Taffeta walked over to the wheelchair, before she sat back down and wheeled to her guitar.

Anya kicked Billie off her drums, before Phoebe took her bass back from Patrick, before she huffed on it and used the hem of her skirt to shine off the fingerprints that were left behind.

“ Oh thank god, the decent musicians are back,” Kyle complained. “If I had to listen to another Elton John or Beethoven on the drums cover, I was going to rip my eyebrow hairs out.”

“It might actually be an improvement,”  MacKenzie snickered.

Kyle squinted at her and scrunched his nose.

“Uhm, uh -” he sputtered.

“What’s the matter, cat got your  tongue ? ” she asked.

He stuck his tongue out at her, with a childish ‘ Mmleh ’, before he turned his attention back towards the band that stood in front of them.

“So, I assume you didn’t pee blood, but you sure took awhile,” Billie commented. “Kidney stones ?”

“Makeup break,” Taffeta answered.

“And I thought Diana took a long time to get ready in the morning,” Billie laughed.

Diana sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“I’m surrounded by men,” she deadpanned.

“I know that feeling,”  MacKenzie agreed.

Taffeta looked around at her band before she bit her lips together.

“Let’s  rock ? ” she asked.

They nodded at eachother.

“Let’s rock and roll,” Shane agreed.

Then the jam session resumed, as if nothing had ever happened.


	7. Acheronta Movebo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❇ || Howdy !! A quick warning ahead of time, this chapter contains scenes involving explicit marijuana usage, and underage marijuana usage, as well as some pretty irresponsible parenting in a way !! I just wanted to warn you ahead of time, so you aren't caught off guard !!

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕊𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟  :

𝔸𝕔𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕒 𝕄𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕓𝕠

◟ ◞

Shane scribbled on the front of his history notebook. He managed to etch  a skull and crossbones into the yellow cover next to a sketch of a U.F.O that he drew while he was taking boring history notes. His mind was filled, he couldn’t get the thought out of his mind – his dad cheated on his mom. He couldn’t see how life went on after that, how his mom stayed, how they had Kyle and  MacKenzie . It wasn’t like he hated his brother and sister, he adored them, even if they were annoying nuisances. He just . . . he felt like his family deserved so much better. He still hadn’t brought it up to the family, because he didn’t want to make his mom upset, and he agreed with his dad to an extent – Kyle and  MacKenzie wouldn’t understand, they’re thirteen.

He was civil, he distanced himself from his dad. He didn’t talk to  him, he wasn’t in the barn with him unless he needed to. There wasn’t any joking, there wasn’t life – he was cold. He didn’t laugh, he simply ate the pot roast his mom had made, and disappeared up into his room to pretend like he was studying.

There  was a few taps against his window, as if there  was raindrops, but there wasn’t a lot of clouds out in the country. He got up from his desk, before he looked at his desk clock. Nine  o’six . He furrowed his eyebrows. He knew that Kyle and  MacKenzie were washing up to go to bed, and his mom was in her room, writing in her journal, like she did every night. He slid up the window and looked outside and saw a familiar  silhouette , but it was also so alien to him.

The figure had their hair tied up in a ponytail, with shiny accessories littered across their head, in their hair, their ears, across their face. A white, sparkling feather boa clung like a delicate cloud against their shoulders. A hot, fiery red dress clung against their body. Shiny white wedge heels made the figure seem tall, like a vixen of the night.

“Get in the truck, loser,” the  figure called to him.

With the voice out in the open, he connected who it was. He couldn’t go out with his dad, especially right now. Who knows what would happen if he was in that truck with him, alone, without his mom  there ? The only reason he was being civil was because of his family. 

“I have homework,” he excused.

Shane shut the window and went back to doodling on his notebook, distracting himself until he had to eventually go to bed whenever Patience came into the room and told him that it was too late to stay up anymore.

The tapping on the window continued, before Shane went back to the window.

“What ?” he asked.

“Stop being a square,” A. called. “Get into the truck.”

“It’s a school night,” Shane reasoned.

“We all know you don’t give a shit about that,” A. pointed out. “Come on.”

Shane groaned and shut his window again. He obviously wasn’t going to win this argument, so he put his boots on, and his leather jacket before he walked down the stairs and out the door, he shivered in his leather coat before he followed his dad into the beat up  pick up truck. He hopped into the passenger side of the truck, before he sniffed and scowled at the smell.

“Ugh, dad, it smells like -” he paused, before he brushed it off. “ Nevermind , I’m not going to finish that sentence.”

“Weed ?” A. inquired. “I have Northern Lights, Sour Diesel, and Girl Scouts – which one sounds the best to you ?”

“Uhm, Northern  Lights ? ” Shane questioned.

He watched as his dad leaned into the backseat, before he brought out a medicine bottle with leafy, green buds and a small thing that looked like a box of gum sticks, only to see that there were little sheets of what looked to be wax paper, he took a round thing that looked like a round tin of mints, before he opened it to reveal gritty looking spikes that he dropped a few of the buds into. He put the top back on and cranked it so a greenish powder fell out the bottom, onto the paper. He finished it off and rolled it up into a cigarette looking shape before he held it out to Shane.

“One Northern Lights,” he dismissed.

“Whoa, whoa, dad !!” Shane exclaimed. “I can’t do this, we’re going to get in trouble !!”

“Not if you don’t tell anyone and you act cool,” A. claimed. “I get away with this all the time, on top of that, I have a green card, for my  Intermediate Explosive Disorder.”

“You have a  what ? ” Shane asked.

“Oh my god, Shane,” A. laughed. “You’re acting like I do straight meth in my free time. Those elementary schools really mess with kids’ heads. I smoke weed, and there’s no harm in it. It’s actually good for some people. It might do you some good, get you to relax, since you haven’t all weekend.”

“What’s that supposed to  mean ? ” Shane asked.

His dad put the joint into his mouth, before he took out a lighter from the middle console and lit the joint.

Shane took one hit out of surprise, before he pulled the joint out of his mouth and coughed.

“It burns !!” he exclaimed.

“Well, it’s your first time, kid,” A. chuckled. “Your lungs aren’t accustomed to it yet. Take smaller hits.”

Shane’s coughing settled before he looked back to his dad, with his eyebrows furrowed.

His father raised his eyebrows and tilted his head up as he watched Shane.

“Should we really be doing this ?” Shane asked. “I mean, you’re my dad -”

“Exactly,” A. insisted. “Not every parent is okay with this, and you should be happy to have one that is. Do you want a boring, old square like one of your uncles as a dad ?”

“N -  No ? ” Shane answered.

“Now, stop being a pussy,” A. teased.

Shane put the joint back to his lips again, before he took a drag out of it, and then the smoke flowed out of his mouth as he exhaled. It was more of a relaxed hit  ( though his hands were still shaking due to nerves ), so he didn’t choke on his own smoke.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched A. pull out what looked to be a bottle, before he quickly realized that it wasn’t a bottle, but a cloudy, frosted glass bong.

They both sat in the truck, blowing out clouds of smoke that consumed them, fogged the windows. At some point  ( both of them were a bit too high to remember who turned it on, and when they turned it  on ) , the radio was turned onto a mellow rap station.

“So, care to tell me why you’ve been distant these past few  days ? ” A. questioned.

“ Huh ? ” Shane asked. 

His father snickered as he witnessed Shane give him the glossed over, stoner, “I saw your mouth move but no words came out” look.

“You haven’t been talking to me these past few days,” A. pointed out. “Every time you’re doing farm work, or we’re at dinner, you seem to try and get it over with as quickly as possible – why ?”

Shane furrowed his eyebrows, but he couldn’t find it in himself to be angry – he was  more hungry than anything, and his mouth was dry. He simply shook his head and slumped his back against the passenger seat of the truck.

“I was getting a soda when we went over to Aunt Jane and Uncle Tim’s place,” he started. “I heard you guys talking and I found out about your  _ thing _ .”

“I have a lot of those,” A. claimed. “Which thing specifically ?”

“The fact that you became a prostitute, cheated on mom, went to couple’s therapy,” Shane spilled. “ So I think I should ask you – why ?”

This conversation was going much better than it would’ve without the assistance of the feel – good plant itself, because if they hadn’t, Shane would’ve surely gone straight for A.’s jugular at least seven times in the last few minutes. Hopefully, they’d  remember this tomorrow.

“I needed the money, and trust me, I tried to look in other places first,” A. explained. “I tried to be a bus driver, but they wanted me full time, and I already had a full - time job. I tried to be a waiter, but I didn’t have what it took, so eventually I decided to try out as a stripper at a club close by the restaurant I got fired from, and I got the job, but then one time, while I was getting drinks with one of the patrons, he asked me to . . . you know ?”

He then mimed a motion that looked like he was brushing his teeth with his mouth shut, but with the context, Shane cringed at the true meaning of the motion.

“At first I said ‘no’, because, obviously, I had you and your mom back at home,” A. clarified. “But then he offered me one hundred dollars for it, and I thought about what that money could go towards – I could put it towards you, and getting you new clothes, or getting your mom nice things, because I wanted to give you two the world.”

“What about grandpop and his factory ?” Shane asked. “Now that we work with his factory, we have a lot of money. Why couldn’t you have done that earlier ?”

“I didn’t want anyone to know that we were having money trouble,” A. said. “Especially you and your mom. Luckily, as crazy as it is, your Uncle Tim managed to help me professionally strike a business deal with the factory, and I was able to stop.”

He laughed to himself.

“I was getting too old anyways,” he joked.

They sat in silence for a moment longer, before A. rolled down the window to tap the burned ash out of the bowl so he could put it back in the truck. The smoke filtered out of the car, before Shane sat back up and flicked the tip of whatever remained of his joint out of the side of the truck, and into the barren dirt driveway.

“I did it all for you and the family. It paid for your hormones, it helped us support three kids, I made things right with your mom and we worked it all out. I hope I worked it out with you,” A. reassured. “Are you still mad at me ?”

Shane licked his dry lips before he touched his stomach.

“I’m kind of hungry,” he claimed.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” A. chuckled. “Buster Bronski’s ?”

“Won’t mom notice we’re gone ?” Shane asked.

“Eh, don’t worry about her,” A. dismissed. “Come on, let’s go to  B.B’s \- I didn’t get dressed up for nothing. We can do some  skee ball, and maybe get one of the balloon couches with the tickets we earn.”

“I could go for some loaded nachos right about  now,” Shane agreed.

“Then let’s go,” A. encouraged.

He started the truck and pulled out of the driveway, before they headed into the city, which was still rich and bright with lights and life. It was the city that never slept, and that proved to be so true as the neon lights of the night illuminated the surrounding areas. During the day, the city was a disgusting place, you could see crushed soda cans, the slime of unknown substances on the walls, the bloated and overfed pigeons as they scavenged for more waffle fries nearby a Ham Bros. floor. It was boring, but at night, it was full of life, the buzzing neon signs begged you to come inside, the graffiti on the sides of the building wanted you to head into the unknown, people bustled in and out of places that wouldn’t catch a person’s eye when the sun was out.

“Whoa,” he muttered.

“It’s nice out, right ?” A. asked.

“Guess I never really paid attention when it was the morning,” Shane commented. “The Silver Fox ?”

“Sleazy motel,” A. claimed. “What happens at the motel, stays in the motel, or at least, that was our guarantee when I was working.”

“ Ew ,” Shane laughed.

“Oh, don’t act like you won’t be doing that stuff  some day ,” A. teased. “I see the way you look at Phoebe Vinderstromm.”

“Is it that  obvious ? ” Shane asked.

“Shane, I’ve been in love before,” A. reminded. “I remember when I first saw your mom – I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on. I still think that. There’s nothing that could compare to her.”

“Well . . . I mean, Phoebe is pretty,” Shane admitted. “And she’s level headed, cool, gentle – it's a lot to admire in a woman. One that’s independent, can take care of herself, and can absolutely fuckin’ shred a bass ?”

“Isn’t your homecoming coming  up ? ” A. asked. “You should ask her !!”

“What if she says ‘no’ ?” Shane asked. “What if my homecoming proposal isn’t good enough ?”

“Homecoming  proposal ? ” A. inquired. “The hell’s that ?”

“Like some people do a sign and give the other person some chocolates -” Shane started. “Steve Andrews from the basketball team asked the cheer captain out by doing an entire flash mob !!”

His dad furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

“When I was your age, I just asked,” A. commented. “I mean, maybe that was just me, and I went with my girlfriend at the time, so I guess she kind of expected that we were going together ?”

“Well, she’s not my girlfriend,” Shane reminded. “So what do I do now ?”

They finally pulled into the parking lot of Buster Bronski’s, before A. turned off the ignition and leaned against his chair in thought. He scratched at his mustache, before he vocalized an idea.

“What if you get a box of donuts and write ‘Donut say no;  HoCo ? ’ ?” he asked.

“Noah Wentworth of the debate team already asked out the head of the anime club with that,” Shane sighed.

“Of course, all the good ideas have to be taken by some debate team bastard,” A. inquired. “Maybe loaded nachos and some video games might jog our brains ?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Shane agreed.

Shane lifted his legs to himself as A. reached to the glove box and opened it up to pull out cologne and a peach shaped bottle, before he handed the cologne to Shane.

“You might want to spray that on,” he suggested. “Let’s not walk in there and smell like some of that good – good, right ?”

Shane sighed to himself as he opened the truck door and sprayed cologne all over his body. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, before he walked behind the car and met back up with his dad.

“I can’t believe I smoked weed with my dad,” Shane laughed. “ **_ While  _ ** he was in a red dress and fishnets.”

He toned down his snickering as A. light – heartedly lectured him about how he’s not supposed to announce that they recently smoked weed.

“What if someone notices ?” Shane asked.

“They won’t notice unless you act suspicious,” A. claimed. “Just be chill, and try not to laugh at everything the waitress says.”

“What if she’s  cute ? ” Shane teased.

“If I laugh, you can laugh,” A. proposed.

“Deal,” Shane agreed.

They entered the building, before they walked to the restaurant and bar part of the place, where they were seated in a cozy, intimate corner of the place. Shane looked over A.’s shoulder, before he saw familiar orange hair, tied up in a sock bun. The fashion seemed familiar – a yellow polka dot dress, white ballet flats, a denim jacket. Who was  that ? He attempted to get a look at her parents, but his epiphany was cut short as a waitress came up to  te table – middle aged woman, nothing special.

“Hi, welcome to Buster Bronski’s, my name is Margaret and I’ll be your server for the night,” she introduced. “Any drinks to start  with ? ”

The menus were laid out in front of them, and they opened before they perused the food listings.

“Italian cream soda, cherry, please,” A. answered. “And the  mozzarella sticks ? ”

“Uhm,” Shane started. “ Uhh . . .”

He stared at the menu, as the knowledge of what they served drink wise at the restaurant left him. He shook his head, in an attempt to get the THC fog from his mind, before he was snapped out of the trance by the sound of his voice.

“He’ll get the same,” he answered.

“Two cherry Italian cream sodas and the mozzarella sticks,” the waitress confirmed. “Coming right up.”

She left to put their orders in, before Shane gave a sigh of relief.

“Thanks,” he said.

“No problem,” A. chuckled. “Now, I’m starting to think I should’ve saved the best for last.”

“I wouldn’t have wanted to be here if we did the  **_ thing  _ ** afterwards,” Shane pointed out.

“Good point,” A. agreed. “Well, comes with its pros and cons. You won’t forget your food order, right ?”

“Forget  nachos ? ” Shane asked. “How could I  ever ? ”

“Atta boy,” he encouraged. “I think I’ll get myself a double bacon cheeseburger.”

“Will that upset your stomach to the point of not being able to play games, old  man ? ” Shane teased.

“No, no,” A. denied. “Unless you’re planning on getting dessert, then you might have to roll me out of here and drive us back home, and I don’t know how much I trust you considering you’re, you know . . .  **_ baked  _ ** ? ”

“You are too,” Shane pouted.

“Yes, yes, young one,” A. agreed. “But remember, I used to drive home ten times more stoned than this.”

“Jesus,” Shane commented. “How ?”

“Practice,” A. clarified. “But, son, leave this to the professional dumbasses,  okay ? If you ever go off and get high, please call me to come get you, and do not call your mother, or she will have a meltdown. It took her awhile to get used to me doing this, but I know she’ll feel differently since you’re her son.”

They soon had their mozzarella sticks and Italian cream sodas, and they both began to chow down on the greasy, deep fried goodness drenched in marinara sauce as they waited for their respective meals to come, and eventually their meals were brought and they drooled and wolfed down that too.

“Isn’t this some of the best food you ever tasted ?” A. asked.

Shane simply forked another nacho, slathered with cheese, beef, veggies, and beans into his mouth as he nodded and hummed in content.

“This is some true stoner food right here,” A. claimed.

“Dad !!” Shane scolded.

They finished their meal, and A. paid for it, before they left and went out to the arcade section, where they put one hundred and fifty dollars onto a play card, before they scouted the area to see what games would spit out the most tickets so they could end the night in being able to get the inflatable balloon couch to bring back home  ( though they were quite unsure of where the couch was going to go ). 

Shane then caught sight of “Beat Step Mania”, and the hardstyle techno music and rapidly changing lights, as well as the small crowd that formed around it attracted him to it. He grabbed A.’s hand before he  lead him over to the machine, where they peeked over the crowds of people and watched as the young adults tapped on the neon arrow panels to the patterns that appeared on the screen.

“Beat Step  Mania ? ” A. asked. “Are you  sure ? ”

They both watched as the machine fed out a long strip of tickets into the winner’s hands, before they nodded at  eachother in agreement. They stood in the crowd and awaited their turns on the machine, eventually it was their turn and Shane  was met with a familiar face.

“What are you doing here ?” she asked.

Sophie Andrews – Habib.

He scrunched his eyebrows at her and crossed his arms. He was looking at the person that hated Phoebe’s guts. He wanted to punch her in the guts. He felt reassurance that legally it would be considered a fair fight, since they were both minors, and Shane was biologically the same as her ( minus the mustache, of course, but that was due to genetics and not just hormones ).

“Obviously the same thing as you, Einstein,” he claimed.

“Who’s this Wizard Of Oz munchkin ?” A. asked.

“Sophie,” Shane answered. “She picks on Phoebe all the time.”

“So, Sophie, you look like a dancer,” A. inquired.

“Top of my class at the N.Y.C ballet academy,” Sophie pointed out. “And you look like a trash whore. At least that explains a bit about your weird kid.”

He simply smiled and stepped onto the platform, where he towered over her in the heels he wore, he leaned over and tilted his head.

“ _ Well, why don’t you go up against an old trash whore and show me what you’re made of  _ _ kid _ ? ” A. asked.

She scrunched her nose and folded her arms before she looked at Shane, with her pinched features, and then looked back to A., as she flattened the  flyaways in her hair.

“Hmph,” she said. “It won’t be that hard. Don’t throw out your back,  _ grandpa _ .”

“Yeah, I might have to agree with her here, dad,” Shane insisted. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

His dad simply rolled his eyes and scoffed through a smile, before he looked to Sophie and slid his card through the machine. He stood in the center, before he looked inquisitively at Sophie.

“I’ll let you pick the song,” he offered. “So we have a level playing field.”

“Don’t patronize me,” Sophie commented.

She selected one of the songs on the hardest difficulty, before she tucked a strand of hair behind her head, and gave a smug grin to A. as the level set up.

“Dad, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to -” Shane insisted.

“Nonsense, scamp,” A. dismissed. “It’s been  awhile since I’ve showed fresh meat what’s what around these parts of town. I’m sure I haven’t lost my spark yet.”

He leaned in close to Shane, before he smiled. His tone was quiet as he whispered to his son.

“And besides, I got to defend my future daughter – in – law's honor, right ?”

Shane smiled to him and stepped back as he heard the machine announce the level. The song started off easy enough, with Sophie giving a bit of pep to her step as she stomped on the tiles that matched the incoming arrows. A. was slower, steadier, and he had his arms crossed as he tapped on each tile as it came by. Neither were off pace, but A. looked into the corner of his eye to see that her breath was picking up, and she looked as if she were getting tired. That simply gave him the green light to go off.

He delivered a few Vogue style hand movements, spins in his  sky high heels, hair flipped and whipped around his neck. He was able to drop it low, pick it up slow, and caused an uproar of cheers in the crowd as Sophie struggled to keep up and match his moves, and eventually lost track of the arrows on the screen.

Eventually the song ended and A. struck one last pose, before he flipped his hair from his face. He looked to Sophie and smirked as she glared at him with her poisonous green gaze. He simply blew the young girl a kiss, before he balled his hand into a fist, with only his middle finger standing proud and tall in her face, as he stepped off the platform and helped Shane collect their tickets.

Shane held the tickets close to himself and beamed up to his dad.

“That was incredible !!” Shane exclaimed.

“Your turn,” A. insisted.

“I can’t follow that !!” Shane laughed. “Let’s go play some  skee ball, that might be a bit easier on me.”

His dad simply ruffled the cowboy hat that sat atop his kid’s head, before he followed Shane to the rows of  skee ball machines, where they collected tons of tickets.

Their night ended with carrying a box that held a hot pink, inflatable, balloon couch that the tossed into the backseat of the truck, as a problem to deal with later.

“So, fun night ?” A. asked.

He turned the truck back on and shut off the radio.

Shane laughed and yawned as he buckled his seatbelt.

“The best,” he agreed.

They pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive their small stretch back home. The ride  homw was quiet, up until they reached the line where the city faded into countryside. The crickets chirped and filled the air with a cozy ambience.

“ Dad ? ” Shane broke the silence.

“Yeah,  scamp ? ” A. asked.

“Thanks,” Shane chuckled. “I had a lot of fun tonight.”

“Good,” A. affirmed. “So, we’re cool now ?”

“I guess so,” Shane confirmed.

Shane yawned and turned over onto his side. He watched the stars pass by in the dark blue sky, and eventually fell asleep to the sound of the radio being turned on to the oldies rock station and the animals outside. The warmth of the truck’s heater blew over him, and he curled into a cozy ball, with one arm propping up his cheek against the cool window.

They eventually arrived home, and A. pulled Shane out of the passenger side from the driver’s side door, and slung the kid over his shoulder. He came up the steps to see Patience open the door for them.

“Didja sort it all  out ? ” she asked.

“That I did, honey,” he answered.

“You got a way about you, Barnaby Willoughby,” she giggled.

He leaned his head down, before they locked  eachother in a kiss. She scratched the top of his head, before she pulled away and affectionately pinched his cheek, which caused him to laugh quietly.

“Thank you for letting me do this, honey,” he whispered.

“He’s your boy, hon’,” Patience reminded. “Your first boy, too. The bond between a boy and his dad is  somethin ’ real special, and I know it would hurt you to see him slip away from you.”

“I’m glad I could manage to work it out,” he claimed. “Now, let me put this giant sack of potatoes to bed.”

He carried Shane to his room, before he shut the desk lamp off and set him on his bed. A. took Shane’s hat off and set it on his headboard for him to grab in the morning. He pulled the teenager out of his leather jacket, and his boots before he set them on the floor and hung the jacket on his desk chair.

He made sure his son was snug, and nestled under the blankets, before he leaned over and planted a kiss on Shane’s forehead, before he touched a gentle hand on his cheek. A. smiled at his sleeping son, before he rustled his hair. He got up from the bed and took the heels that pinched his feet and rubbed against his ankles off, before he gave a sigh of relief.

“Freedom,” he whispered.

He went to the bedroom, and then into his and Patience’s bathroom, where he wiped off the makeup, before he took a quick, utilitarian shower ( for Patience’s sake, considering he smelled like a dumpster behind a fast food joint ) and changed into his pajamas.

He joined Patience in bed, and she nestled her head onto his chest, before he kissed her forehead. He managed to heal his family yet again, and everything was back to the way it should be.


	8. Omina Vincit Amor

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔼𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥  :

𝕆𝕞𝕟𝕚𝕒 𝕍𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕚𝕥 𝔸𝕞𝕠𝕣

◟ ◞

“Ugh, what a long day,” Taffeta sighed. “At least, you get to ask Anya out to homecoming,  Pheebs !! I’m sure she’ll love it, like look at the cute little puppy you got her – it's just another cutie for her to add to that massive collection of stuffed animals she has.”

Phoebe held the sign out in front of herself and furrowed her eyebrows before she giggled at the little pun she and Lars had wrote for her.

“It would be paw – some if you went to homecoming with me. Please say yes !!”

“My dad helped me with the poster,” Phoebe claimed. “I mean, it’s really cheesy, but I think, if your dad isn’t the master of dad humor and cheesy jokes – do you really have a dad ?”

Taffeta laughed before she shook her head and shrugged. If she could give her own poppa credit for something, he was the master of jokes that were so cheesy that they’d make both her and her momma groan before they managed to laugh at how dumb his puns, quips, and jokes were.

“Should I save it for  practice ? ” Phoebe asked.

“Well, then we should stop heading to her locker, so she doesn’t sneak a peek at your stuff before then,” Taffeta reasoned. “I have to go back to the locker room, so I can meet up with Shane – he says he has something important he needs me to help with back in his car.”

“I’ll meet back with you at the drama room,” Phoebe dismissed. “I should go and put my English textbook back in my locker, since I don’t need it tonight. Hopefully I can sneak past Anya’s locker with this.”

“Well, you better sprint,” Taffeta suggested. “Practice starts in fifteen.”

“You bet,” Phoebe agreed.

She ducked her head and started to make her way to her locker, which was across the building, while Taffeta continued to wheel her way to the locker rooms. She had to go through their indoor basketball court, which smelled of fresh wax. Surprisingly, it was dark, except for the only the stream of lights that illuminated the top row of bleachers. She knitted her eyebrows in confusion, before she saw a singular light in the middle of the court, where Matty stood in the center.

“Taffeta Willoughby,” he called.

“Hey  Matty ? ” she questioned.

“Catch,” he simply said.

He dribbled a basketball, before he tossed it onto the second story of bleachers, where Taffeta grabbed it, by only the edges of her nails and set it on her lap, before she noticed that the basketball had writing in permanent marker on it. She spun the ball to where she found the start of the question.

“Taffeta, Homecoming would be a ball if you went with me – so what do you  say ? Are you going to give me a  shot ? ”

She laughed at his question, before she looked over the bleachers, to see that he stood and stared with a smile, while his hands were stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie.

“You’re asking me to go to homecoming with  you ? ” she asked.

“Yeah !!” he exclaimed. “I think you’re super cool, and I feel like we’d have a lot of fun if we went together. My mom could let me borrow her S.U.V so we have a place to put your wheelchair, we could meet up with your friends and my friends before the dance, and then we can eat at Tasty Tortellini’s before we come here – it would be a lot of fun if you say yes.”

“Sure !!” she answered. “We could have the whole cast along for the ride !!”

“I told you she’d say yes !!”

That’s when Steve came out from the utility room and the rest of the lights soon flickered to life.

“He thought you were  gonna say ‘no’ !!” Steve laughed.

“Why would I say ‘no ’ ? ” Taffeta asked.

“Well, I mean, someone way cooler than me could’ve asked you,” Matty claimed.

“Oh, come on, the only people I really talk to regularly are you guys, Alice, and my besties,” Taffeta reasoned. “And if Robby Ventura from the football team asked me out, I would reject that bonehead on the spot.”

Matty laughed at her claim, before he tilted his head.

“We’re about to head to Missus Chu’s room, you  wanna come with us ?” Matty asked.

“Oh, I have to help Shane out with something,” Taffeta excused. “I’ll meet you guys in there !!”

“See you in a minute !!” Matty exclaimed.

Taffeta waved over her shoulder before she wheeled out of the court and into the hallway that led to the gym. She saw Shane round the corner, though it took her a moment to recognize him over the mountain of daisy flowers he held in his arms and the giant yellow sign that read “You have left my heart in a daze – homecoming ?”

“Whoa, Shane, don’t you think this is a little  much ? ” Taffeta asked.

“ Taff , I woke up at four this morning to pick all of these flowers from the garden at the farm, before I had to feed Nugget and Corn and then water the cows,” Shane said. “But, that’s how much I like Phoebe, and I want her to know that – maybe she might notice all of this effort and we could . . . maybe be something more than just friends and bandmates ?”

“Why don’t you just  _ ask  _ her to be your  girlfriend ? ” Taffeta asked.

“It’s not enough,” Shane insisted.

“I’m sure she’ll think that this is more than enough -” Taffeta reassured.

“ _ But I won’t _ .”

\---

On the other side of the school, Phoebe had finally made it to the hallway where Anya’s locker was. She peeked around the corner to see if Anya was distracted, so she could haul her poster and stuffed animal to over to her locker to put her textbook back. She furrowed her eyebrows before she saw the blonde and purple haired girl, as she leaned onto the locker next to Anya’s and they were talking.

“So, cutie, do you got anyone to go to homecoming  with ? ” the girl asked her.

“Well, I was going to go with my friends,” Anya answered. “It’s something we do at every dance – the Winter Formal, homecoming, prom -”

“Well, why don’t you switch it up a bit, sweetheart ?” the girl questioned. “Come with me – c'mon, I promise we’re going to have so much more fun than if you were to go with those dweebs.”

“They are not dweebs,” Anya defended.

“Well, wouldn’t it be nice to actually have a date to one of these things for once ?” the girl asked. “Someone who could take you to the after party, someone to share a tent with . . .”

“I mean, me and my friends normally go back to one of our houses and watch movies while we eat pizza that we warm up in the oven,” Anya claimed.

“ So you’ve never been to an after – party  before ? ” the girl asked.

“No,” Anya answered.

“Would you want to go to  one ? ” the girl asked.

Anya brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, before she bit her lip and smiled.

“Kind of,” she answered.

“Then come to homecoming with me,” the girl encouraged.

“Okay, okay,” Anya giggled. “I’ll just have to let my friends know.”

Phoebe didn’t need to hear  anymore of their conversation. She simply hiked her poster close to her body and ran to her locker. She unzipped her backpack and took her textbook out, before she shelved it in her locker and jammed the stuffed dog into the locker. Her face was hot as she looked into the mirror to see that fat beads of black, mascara tears brimmed her eyelashes. 

She looked pathetic.

She sniffed the snot that threatened to dribble out her nose before, she held her breath in a tight knot that formed in her throat. She took the giant poster and stared at it for a moment. She didn’t want to do this, but she knew she had to. Anya couldn’t know that she liked her, not after the whole thing that happened with the other girl, whoever she was.

Phoebe winced quietly at the first tiny tear she made in the poster she and her dad worked so hard on, before she looked at it and the tears gave way to gravity as they dripped from her eyelashes and ran in thick, dark streams down her embarrassed, red cheeks.

She continued to rip the poster paper, with her eyes closed, and she put the two pieces together, and tore down again. She continued to rip and tear up the paper until she was only left with illegible scraps of pink posterboard that she tossed into the garbage can, before she disappeared into the bathroom and locked herself in a stall to hide the hurt, shame, and overall embarrassment of the situation. She couldn’t walk into the drama room, while she was still crying, especially over a girl. She was Phoebe  Vinderstromm – daughter of Celeste  Vinderstromm –  McMilk . She was cool, collected, level – headed, and nobody needed to know otherwise.

\---

“Huh, normally Phoebe’s one of the first ones in here,” Shane commented.

He and Taffeta entered the drama room, where most of the ensemble  ( including Alice and Comet  Martinelli ) , main cast, and Missus Chu sat.

“She went to put her English textbook into her locker,” Taffeta claimed. “You know how that’s on the other side of the school.”

“Yeah, but she’d still be here by now,” Shane asked. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

“I think you’re just nervous,” Taffeta insisted. “She’ll show up eventually !!”

“Hey, you’re not planning on asking someone else out to homecoming, are  you ? ” Matty teased.

Taffeta noticed that she was holding Shane’s homecoming proposal in her lap, before she laughed and shook her head.

“No, Matty,” she chuckled. “We’re still going together. This’s Shane’s thing.”

“ Ooo , Shane,” Steve teased. “Who are you asking ?”

“Phoebe,” Shane answered. “Has she come in here yet ?”

“No,” Alice said. “I hope she shows up, practice is always more fun when everyone’s here.”

“Yeah,” Shane agreed. “What about Anya ?”

“Haven’t seen her either,” Comet answered. “I don’t think her, Candy, or Hannah are here.”

“Hannah had a doctor’s appointment,” Steve answered. “She’ll be here next practice.”

“How do you know  that ? ” Taffeta asked.

“Well, let’s just say that Hannah isn’t single anymore,” Steve claimed. “I slid into her DM’s after I proposed and asked if she wanted to start dating, and she said yes.”

“Wow, congrats !!” Matty exclaimed.

“Yeah, that’s great for you !!” Taffeta agreed. “Did you hear that,  Shane ? Steve and Hannah are going out.”

Shane stopped staring at the door for a moment, before he turned back to the conversation and shook his head. He was more focused on the doorway, hoping that Phoebe would soon walk through, or that his phone would buzz and she’d tell the group chat that she wasn’t going to attend practice for something like a therapy session or a doctor’s appointment.

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “That’s cool.”

“Hey bro, you good ?” Steve asked. “Your vibes are off.”

“Yeah, you seem worked up,” Matty pointed out.

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” Shane defended.

They turned once they saw both Anya and the blonde – purple haired girl walk in, hand in hand.

“Oh look, Anya and Candy are here !!” Comet exclaimed.

“Have either of you girls seen Phoebe ?” Missus Chu asked. “I know she’s here today – do one of you guys have her number so you can see if she remembered that practice was today ?”

“I haven’t seen her since sixth period,” Anya answered. “I don’t think she’d forget practice, especially after she got Janet.”

“Yeah !!” Billie agreed. “Did she have something to do after school – do you know,  Taff ? I know you guys normally walk together after school since your classrooms are right across from eachother.”

“Maybe she had to use the  bathroom ? ” Taffeta asked.

An alarm went off in Shane’s head, as he noticed that Candy and Anya were holding hands.

“Oh  **_ shit _ ** ,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

“ Shane ? ” Taffeta asked.

“Where are you  going ? ” Billie asked. “Practice has to start sometime, you know ?”

“Don’t ruin this for all of us !!” Sophie snapped.

“I’ll be right back,” Shane repeated, sternly.

He got up from his chair and walked out of the room. His pace was quick, brisk, as he jogged across the school. He wanted to sprint, but he didn’t want to get scolded by any of the janitors while they were cleaning, or the principal, or any of the other teachers working after hours. He just wanted to get to Phoebe, and he knew that it would simply slow him down if he were to get in trouble. Eventually, he reached the other side of the building, and he went towards Phoebe’s locker, since that’s where Taffeta said she was headed.

He saw the tag of a stuffed animal peek from her locker and then he looked at the trashcan to see that there were bits and pieces of  postercard in the trashcan. He put his forehead in his palm, before he shook his head.

“Shit,” he muttered to himself.

His head perked at the sound of crying, before he looked between both bathrooms, unsure of which Phoebe went into  ( not because he was unsure of  _ her _ , but sometimes the mind gets foggy when you’re  upset ) . He decided to set foot in the girl’s bathroom, because Phoebe is indeed a girl – presented as one, the school knew that what she identified as, thought like one even though she didn’t understand every girl struggle  ( and unfortunately, Shane knew of some all too  well ) .

He felt a shiver down his spine as he entered the bathroom. It didn’t look much different than the boy’s bathroom, minus the absence of urinals, but that absence still . . . the place felt foreign to him, like he didn’t belong in there, even though most of society believed he  _ did _ . In his mind, he knew he didn’t, but still, that aching feeling was there – the one that sent goosebumps along his skin. 

The sound of crying was close.

At least, he knew he was in the right place for the given situation. That brought a little bit of relief.

He looked under the gap of the stalls to see where he could find a set of shoes, before he came across shoes and what he could only assume to be Phoebe’s butt and backpack on the floor.

He went into the stall next to her, before he hiked himself up to stand on the toilet and peer over the edge of the stall, where he saw Phoebe – on the floor, in a ball, crying.

“Hey,” he soothed. “What’s wrong ?”

She looked up to him, with her eyeshadow smudged around her face and stained tears down her cheeks that only seemed to keep coming. She took some of the toilet paper from the dispenser and used it to dab some of her tears away before she shook her head.

“Nothing,” she answered. “Go away, Shane.”

He got down from the toilet, before he ducked under the stall and shimmied over to the stall Phoebe was in. He sat next to her and folded his legs to his body.

“This floor’s disgusting,” she commented.

“All the more reason a doll like you shouldn’t be sitting on it,” he insisted. “So, what brings you here, on the floor of a dirty school bathroom ?”

“You’ll laugh at me,” she sighed.

“I know I laugh at a lot of things, but you crying isn’t one of them,” he claimed. “Do you need to talk about it or do you just . . . need someone right now ?”

“I guess I just kind of need someone right now,” she claimed.

He grabbed more toilet paper from the dispenser, before he handed it to her. He leaned onto her shoulder and looked at the graffiti on the stall. 

“Don’t drink the water, fish have sex in it.”

“It’s nice to know that the girl’s bathroom is kind of like the guy’s bathroom,” he pointed out.

Phoebe blew her nose before she managed a soft chuckle.

“Anya drew a penis in one of the stalls by Miss  Trevinsky’s classroom,” Phoebe claimed.

“Nice,” Shane laughed.

They were quiet for a moment, sitting in silence, enjoying  eachother’s company.

“Someone wrote ‘One star, would not shit here again’ in one of the guy’s stalls,” Shane announced.

“I normally hold it until I get home,” Phoebe claimed. “Unless I’m about to piss all over the floor.”

“I  _ did  _ piss all over the floor in the second grade,” Shane boasted. “The teacher wouldn’t let me go back into the bathroom after we came back inside from recess, and then so I simple stood by her desk and peed to assert my dominance.”

Phoebe snickered at his story before she quirked an eyebrow in inquiry.

“Was your dominance asserted ?” she asked.

“No,” Shane said. “But my parents were called and my dad came and chewed the principal out for not letting me use the bathroom when I clearly said that I had to pee.”

“Serves them right,” Phoebe claimed. “You can’t choose when you have to go – you just have to go.”

“Yeah,” Shane agreed. “Though, I wish we had more frequent bathroom breaks in high school. Mister Peterson gives us three bathroom slips to use throughout the year, since  _ someone  _ was caught playing ‘ Bedazzled : Jewel Quest’ on the toilet.”

“Who did  that ? ” Phoebe asked.

Shane chuckled to himself, before he plastered a big, proud smile on his face.

“ _ Me _ .”

Phoebe shoved his shoulder while they both laughed at his story.

“Why would you skip class to play games on your  phone ? ” she asked.

“Pheebs, you  _ know  _ how boring  _ algebra  _ is,” Shane commented. “And Mister Peterson sounded like a robot – I actually think a robot has more emotion than he does.”

“Ugh, I know,” she claimed. “I had him for Junior year math.”

“So you know that games are better than his class,” Shane insisted.

“Well, I would’ve rather ate a cheeseburger from the Ham Bros. dumpster than sit in his class for a period,” Phoebe recalled. “So, I guess I see what you’re saying.”

“You know what else’s  boring ? ” Shane asked. “Practice without you in it.”

Phoebe sighed and took more toilet paper from the dispenser to continue to wipe her face from her tears.

“I can’t go back in there,” she sighed. “Anya’s there.”

“What happened ?” Shane asked.

“Anya’s going to homecoming with that girl,” Phoebe claimed. “You know, the blonde one with purple hair . . . the one that looks way cooler than I do, and she’s small, dainty, and skinny too.”

“Whoa, who says you have to be small, dainty, and skinny to be  beautiful ? ” Shane asked.

“Shane, look at me,” Phoebe said. “I’m big, I have man hands, and my stomach is huge -”

“You, my dear Phoebe, are your own worst critic,” Shane insisted. “I think you’re so kickass – like you’re the only one that can get the soda cases from the top shelf when we’re at Save – Mart, and I can’t think of one person at this school that could pull off some of the looks you do. Black nail  polish ? Blue  lipstick ? Highwaisted jeans and a white leather  jacket ? How do you even manage to not get food on  it ? ”

“Well, first of all, you don’t have to inhale everything you eat,” Phoebe teased. “And second off . . . you don’t mean that, do you ?”

“Why would I say it if I didn’t mean it ?” he asked. “You’re . . . you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever met.”

“Stop !!” she squealed. 

“No, I mean it !!” he laughed. “You’re beautiful !!”

He grabbed her shoulders and they laughed and beamed at  eachother ,

“C’mon Shane, there’s so many girls out there that are prettier than me,” Phoebe insisted. “Are you sure you’re not blind ?”

“I could be blind, deaf, and dumb and still know that you’re gorgeous,” Shane claimed. “Jeez, is this overkill ?”

“ No . . .” Phoebe claimed. “Not really.”

Phoebe wore a small grin on her face as she leaned in further to Shane’s face, and stared with her eyes half lidded. Their noses touched, before Shane let off a nervous laugh and craned his neck away from her, with a rather panicked smile on his face and a flustered, red blush. His voice was quiet as he next spoke.

“ _ A -  _ _ Am . _ _ . . I reading the  _ _ room _ __ _ right _ ? ”

“ _ I  _ _ dunno _ ,” she answered. “ _ All depends on your next move _ .”

“ _ Pheebs _ . . .” he whispered.

Her breath was warm against his lips as she crawled closer to him. 

“ _ What’s your next move,  _ _ cowboy _ ? ” she asked.

He shut his eyes and leaned forward  ( partially to get his head off the seat of the toilet, after his post discovery that the girl’s bathroom was just about as dirty as the boy’s  bathroom ) , before their lips were pressed together, softly. His palm was with nervous palsy, as his hand quivered to touch her side. When he did, he gripped her leather jacket tight, and he didn’t want to let go, because holy  _ shit _ , this was actually  _ happening _ .

Phoebe propped herself up by her hands, as to not fall on top of him, because, regardless of how big or small a person is – a person falling on top of you isn’t a pleasant sensation.

They’d break for a moment, before they went back to another soft kiss, and eventually, they pulled away and touched noses. They both let off soft, breathy giggles, before they pulled away from eachother.

“W -  Wow . . .” Shane chuckled.

“I’d say you read the room perfectly,” Phoebe giggled.

“ _ Well  _ . . .” he said. “S - So, I don’t know if this is the best way to lead into this – a – and you can say ‘no’, if you want to, I get if the whole Anya thing is still fresh for you . . . but, do you want to go to homecoming with me, like a – as my  date ? ”

“What about  Taffeta ? ” Phoebe asked.

“Matty asked her,” Shane reassured. “I mean, I’m not Anya, but -”

“Don’t be so humble, Shane,” Phoebe laughed. “It’d be my honor of taking you to homecoming.”

“Don’t flatter me,” he laughed.

“You act like you’re embarrassing to be seen with,” Phoebe teased. “C’mon, we’re going to be the  best looking couple at homecoming.”

“ _ C  _ \-  _ Couple  _ ?” he asked.

She got up from the ground and winked at him as she held her hand out to him in order to help him off the floor, before she unlocked the stall door so they could both leave.

“I guess you didn’t read the room right,” she joked. “I mean, if that kiss meant anything to you -”

“It was the best goddamn kiss I’ve ever had,” he declared. “And I’m not saying that because it was my first kiss that I’ve ever had with a girl that wasn’t my mom.”

“Your mom doesn’t count,” Phoebe laughed.

“Well, then I guess it was the only kiss I’ve ever had,” he claimed.

Phoebe laughed as she took a paper towel from the dispenser and used the soap and water to wipe the excess makeup from her face, so she didn’t walk into the room like a raccoon that had been through a washing machine. She also washed her hands, which Shane followed, since they had spent the last half an hour on the dirty bathroom floor.

She reached out for his hand and he took it, before they walked out of the bathroom, hand in hand, across the building, before Shane paused her steps before they went into the drama room.

“So, I just wanted to let you know a few things ahead of time,” he claimed. “So, Anya and that girl are in there, and Taffeta may or may not have around one hundred and fifty daisies in her lap.”

“Why that many ?” Phoebe asked.

“Don’t ask,” Shane laughed. “Just trying to look out for my girlfriend.”

He paused and smiled to himself before he touched his fingers to the doorknob.

Girlfriend.

He liked the sound of that.

He opened the door and they walked in together, where they saw that Sophie and Katsuki were teaching everyone how to do the steps to the Time Warp, so they could get started on something while Phoebe and Shane were away.

“Oh, look at who finally decided to show up,” Sophie scoffed. “Glad you two finally started to take this seriously.”

“Sorry,” Phoebe said. “I had to use the bathroom.”

“And I got a call from my dad,” Shane lied. “Something about how he lost the remote to the T.V.”

“Sounds like Uncle A.,” both Taffeta and Billie agreed.

“Well, please, join us,” Missus Chu welcomed.

“Yeah, it sucks having to do this without a scene partner !!” Steve exclaimed.

Phoebe let go of Shane’s hand and they interlocked fingers momentarily before she walked to join Steve at her spot on in the front of the classroom.

Shane walked to the side of the room where Taffeta sat with all of the flowers on her lap.

He looked at her as she sneezed into the flowers.

“I think the pollen’s really getting to me,” she claimed.

“Thanks for holding them,” he chuckled.

“You owe me one,” she claimed.

“Yeah, yeah,” he agreed, before he rustled her hair, with his gaze locked on Phoebe.


	9. Homo Sum Humani

◜ ◝

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 ℕ𝕚𝕟𝕖  :

ℍ𝕠𝕞𝕠 𝕊𝕦𝕞 ℍ𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕚

◟ ◞

“This is one of the biggest nights of your lives, girls,” Jane mused. “It’s your last homecoming, we need to make it go out with a bang.”

“Is this why we have an entire  entourage ? ” Taffeta asked.

The entourage consisted of all the moms  ( Jane , Celeste, and  Bea ) , as well as the three girls, Patience, Diana,  MacKenzie , and Ruth. They had traveled from the city all the way to Buffalo, for a  lady's day out, while the men went with Shane and Billie to get tuxedos in the city and have their own guy’s day.

“I think it’s nice,” Phoebe claimed. “It’s just nice to have multiple different opinions, to see what might look good with my beau.”

“Jeez, ever since you and Shane became a thing, it seems like you turned into human taffy,” Anya laughed. “I thought you were supposed to be the cool, stoic one.”

“Oh, let her love, Anya,” Bea insisted. “Crazy things happen to a girl when they’re in love.”

“Weird,” Anya claimed. “I’ve kissed Candy about seven times already and I still feel fine.”

Phoebe reached for Celeste’s hand and squeezed as they walked towards the dress store called “Blessed Dresses”. A bunch of different dresses sat in the window as they walked along the walls of windows. It was  reminent of a wedding dress shop, but with a bit more young person flair.

Ruth flipped her hair from her face as she typed into her phone.

“I’ve seen that this place has been rated five stars on almost every website it’s listed on,” she claimed. “I knew I had to get my niece and her friends to the best rated place in all of New York.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jane sighed. “Don’t flex on us too hard.”

“Besides, Ruth,” Celeste started. “If Phoebe wanted a dress from all the way in Europe, I could get it for her with no problems.”

“Mom . . .” Phoebe groaned.

“Isn’t that just called online  shipping ? ” Ruth asked.

“Ladies, let’s just focus on the task at hand,” Bea interjected. “This is about the girls and what they want, and besides, if I wanted to, I could easily get the most dress in Korea for free, because I know a guy that owes me a favor.”

“Okay, let’s just get inside and let the girls get what they want,” Jane said. “No more talks about who can get what for who at what price.”

“Yeah, let’s keep this a nice, friendly trip,” Taffeta agreed. “I doubt the guys are arguing this much.”

“Well, I mean, you’ve got some of the most passive men I have ever met put together in one group,” Patience claimed. “I think the one that produces the most testosterone out of them is Kyle.”

“Oh, come on, Shane used to inject testosterone into his body every day,” Phoebe reminded. “We all know he has testosterone in his  _ blood _ .”

“And Lars didn’t grow a full beard for nothing,” Celeste pointed out. “I think it makes him look ruggedly handsome.”

“I don’t know what is up with you guys and wanting burly, manly men,” Jane laughed. “I like Tim the way he is – lanky, tall, proudly wearing his hair in a man bun, lacking any sort of backbone.”

“An aggressive woman likes to be on top,” Patience giggled.

“I wouldn’t doubt she is,” Diana commented. “I can’t wait for this to be over.”

“ Ew ,”  MacKenzie muttered.

“Oh, come on,” Diana claimed. “You know she would be.”

“But Aunt Jane and Uncle Tim aren’t like that !!”  MacKenzie exclaimed. “If they were, Taffeta would’ve told us by now. Right,  Taff ?”

Taffeta felt an uneasy shiver down her spine as they brought up her parents in such a way . . . what if there was something more and they were just hiding it from  her ? She would know,  right ? There’d be noises, and  surely, they wouldn’t be careful enough to put away things like lubricant and lingerie all the time – what happened when she wasn’t  home ?

“I think it’d be more obvious,” Jane laughed. “Normally lovebirds can’t keep their hands off of  eachother . Right,  Phoebe ? ”

“But you and poppa are rarely seen apart,” Taffeta claimed.

“If I were in love with him, I would’ve been texting him the entire time,” Jane claimed. “Or at least, I think that’s what people in love do.”

Phoebe looked at her phone before she let off a squealy ‘Aw !!’.

“Shane sent me a cute little owl picture,” she claimed. “’Owl Always Love You’, what should I send back – I have to let him know that I’m okay.”

“Send him something equally sappy, like a picture of two kittens,” Celeste suggested.

“Candy hasn’t even texted me once,” Anya claimed. “I think she might be busy.”

“People do get busy, pumpkin,” Bea soothed. “Maybe she might text you by the end of this whole thing !!”

The women and girls entered the shop, where they were greeted with racks and displays of dresses. They were soon greeted by one of the employees.

“Hi, welcome !!” She greeted. “What can I help you all find today ?”

“Homecoming dresses,” Ruth claimed. “And then maybe us ladies can look for some dresses of our own, on me. What do you all  say ? ”

“Oh, but we’re here for the girls -” Bea insisted.

“Come on, mom, it’s been a while since you’ve gotten a nice dress,” Anya  encouraged . “Maybe then it would give you an excuse for dad to take you out on a  date ? ”

“Well, I would like to get out of the house,” Bea claimed.

“And you have that thing coming up in the city, right  mom ? ” Phoebe asked. “You’re hosting one of those charity galas, in the Metropolitan Museum ?”

“I could always wear one of the dresses in my closet -” Celeste claimed.

“But you could wow people with a new dress,” Phoebe claimed. “Besides, this place looks young and hip, maybe a new dress might give you more of a confidence boost.”

“Speaking of confidence boost, you looked pretty happy when you found your old prom dress,” Taffeta reminded Jane. “Maybe another dress could help – Maybe you need a bit of change in your wardrobe ?”

“But with all these dresses, where would I need to wear one to ?” Jane asked. “It’s not like I have any fancy charity events or anything to go to -”

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” Ruth interjected. “For now, just don’t worry about it. Loosen up, have  fun !! A lady’s day out is supposed to be fun – a day where we make a few impulsive decisions. A ‘treat yourself’ kind of day.”

“Let’s focus on the girls first,” Jane said.

“But you’re still going to try on dresses, right, momma ?” Taffeta asked.

“We’ll see if we have time,” Jane claimed.

“So, we’re working on the girls first ?” the woman asked. “Let’s get you to the dressing rooms, and then some employees will come and help pick some dresses that they think you’ll like so you can come and show them to your little party.”

“Sounds good,” Taffeta answered.

The three girls followed the woman to the dressing rooms, before the moms, Ruth, Patience, and the cousins were seated at a large couch in front of a catwalk and a huge mirror that seemed to take up the entire wall. They were offered bottles of water while they waited for the girls to consult the employees for the dresses.

\---

In the first dressing room was Anya, as she was given a robe to change into while her consultant came  t talk to her. She sat on the chair in the room and looked at her phone, and checked her texts to see if maybe Candy might’ve texted her.

Nothing.

“Maybe I should text  her ? ” she pondered aloud. “Well, I wouldn’t want to seem too desperate . . . but it’s been almost a week since she last texted me and even  then it was just a few words – I'm worrying too much. She’s probably busy. At least we both know that we’re in pink, that’s what matters, I guess.”

The door opened and a woman walked in.

“Hello, I’m Julia,” the woman greeted. “I’ll be your consultant for today.”

“Anya,” Anya greeted.

“Lovely to have you here today, Miss Anya,” Julia claimed. “So, do you have anything in mind for what you  want ? It would be a major help for me if you gave me a list and I could bring you back a few dresses.”

“Well, my kind of girlfriend and I are going to wear blush pink, so we can match,” Anya explained.

“Kind of girlfriend ?” Julia questioned.

“Well, I’m pretty sure we’re a thing, even though she hasn’t officially asked me yet,” Anya explained. “It’s . . . It’s a weird story, I guess.”

“I’ve been there, sweetie,” Julia reassured. “So, pink ?”

“Yeah, pink, and I wanted a short dress, with a little lace and a really fluffy skirt,” Anya listed. “Something that really flairs out when you spin, you feel me ?”

“I think I see exactly what you’re getting at,” Julia agreed. “Give me a few moments, and I’ll be right back with a few dresses that I think might fulfill your fancy.”

Anya’s consultant left the room which allowed for Anya to continue to ponder at the blank text message box, as she wondered whether or not she should be the first one to text within the week.

\---

Phoebe grabbed onto her stomach as she looked in the mirror. She knew that a tight fitted dress wouldn’t be one that looks good on her, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t have a vision otherwise. She’d just hate to be too big, and hopefully they had something here that didn’t make her feel as big. 

Unfortunately, while hormone treatment was still a great thing, and helped her feel so much better about herself, one of the worst side effects was weight gain. When she was able to go on her hormone therapy, she was skinny, almost willowy, but afterwards, the hormone imbalance took that figure away from her and now she was much heavier than she used to be.

The door opened and a woman walked in.

“Hello there,” she greeted. “You must be Celeste  McMilk’s daughter, I assume ?”

“Phoebe,” Phoebe corrected. “I’m assuming you’re going to get me a dress ?”

“Lenore,” the woman introduced. “And yes, that’s my  job !! So, Miss Phoebe, what would you like in this dress – I'd hate to put you in something that you don’t love.”

“I was thinking about doing a Cinderella kind of  dress ? ” Phoebe inquired. “Like full, super light blue – my boyfriend and I were going with a blush blue coloring to match  eachother . I just really want a dress to make me feel . . .  **_ girly _ ** , if that makes  sense ? ”

“That makes a lot of sense,” Lenore agreed. “As a trans – woman, I love when my clothes make me feel feminine. It helps a lot with making me feel good about myself.”

Phoebe’s eyes widened as she craned her neck back in acknowledgement.

“ _ Oh _ ,” she said.

“I hope that doesn’t make you uncomfortable, Miss  Phoebe ? ” Lenore asked.

“N - Not at all !!” Phoebe exclaimed. “I - I’m the thing too !!”

“Oh, I’m aware,” Lenore laughed. “There was a whole article about it in a Mirage magazine from a few years back, where your mom talked a bit about you and what it was like being a parent of a transgender child – very inspiring. I just didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable that another trans person was helping you – I know I don’t pass all the way quite yet, I only started hormone therapy two years ago.”

Phoebe laughed to herself before she shook her head.

“I think you pass just fine,” she reassured. “It’s no pressure, really. I’d be a huge hypocrite if other trans people made me uncomfortable, don’t you  think ? ”

“I guess so,” Lenore chuckled. “So, a Cinderella dress ?”

“Please,” Phoebe agreed.

Lenore nodded as she shut the door behind herself.

Phoebe watched her phone buzz in the pocket of her jacket, before she took her phone out and unlocked it to see that Shane had sent her a picture of a strawberry milkshake, that had two straws, with the text reading “Wishing you were here, so I wouldn’t have to share with my dad.”

She laughed before she sent a text back.

“I wish I was there too.”

\---

Taffeta was taking mirror selfies in her dressing room, before the door opened up, she wheeled around to face the woman that had entered the door. She tilted her head and gave an  embarrassed smile.

“I guess they gave you the hardest client, huh ?” she asked. “Sorry.”

“Hardest client ?” the woman asked. “Oh, no, you are not the hardest client I ever had, as long as you don’t expect me to pull out a dress made out of unicorn hair and fairy dust. I once had a girl that wanted a dress that we had sold the day previous, even though we didn’t have it anymore.”

“Well, I’m not exactly a unicorn hair and fair dust kind of girl,” Taffeta reassured.

The woman held her hand out for Taffeta to shake.

“Holly,” the woman  introduced .

“Taffeta,” Taffeta responded.

“Well, Miss Taffeta,” Holly started. “If you aren’t a unicorn hair and fairy dust kind of girl, what kind of girl are  you ? A dress should reflect the person wearing it, or at least, that’s what I think.”

“Well, I’m in a band with my cousin and my two best friends, a punk band,” Taffeta explained. “I’m not super into dresses, but I mean, this is homecoming, and I’d want something wheelchair compatible, so nothing that drags on the floor or gets caught in the wheels.”

“ So something short, not too flashy,” Holly listed. “No  bling ? ”

“I mean, I wouldn’t want to attract too much attention to myself,” Taffeta insisted. “I’m already kind of a walking circus since, you  know ? ” 

“Oh, don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s not like you’re the only girl in the world that needs a wheelchair,” Holly insisted. “I know three women that need wheelchairs, one of which is my sister. You live in New York, which has New York City, one of the biggest hubs of diversity in the states, you shouldn’t worry about what wheelchairs would do for your image.”

Taffeta gave a giggle before she shrugged.

“I just don’t really like being a center of attention,” Taffeta insisted. “If I did, I would’ve taken the lead singer mantle.”

“So humble,” Holly laughed. “I wish my daughter was like you; so, nothing too flashy ? Simple, chic ? Any specific colors ?”

“I’d be okay with like . . . a black dress,” Taffeta answered.

“I think I might know just the thing for you,” Holly claimed. “ Sit tight !!”

She then left the room and Taffeta went back to taking mirror selfies so she could post them to Pictogram later, in hopes that Jane or Tim doesn’t embarrassingly comment under any of them.

\---

The door opened back up once again, after Anya had managed to backspace her message and edit it about five times as to not sound clingy, but  stll , she didn’t know whether or not to press send. It wasn’t like Candy ever really text her more than  one word responses, but did that mean she had to send a  one word response  back ? It didn’t feel right only sending one single ‘hey’.

She turned off the screen to her phone before she turned to face Julia and put a rather fake, courtesy smile on her face. That fake smile turned into a real smile upon seeing her dress. It was frilly, full, and a baby blush pink, which was exactly what she had pictured in her head.

“I hope this fits your vision,” Julia commented. “If not, we have plenty of other dresses that I can go and choose from for you to  try on.”

“This uh -” she stopped herself from squealing. “This is a great  starting point !!”

“Let’s try it on, shall  we ? ” Julia asked.

Anya removed the robe that she was provided before Julia helped her step into the pink dress. She took a sneak peek over her shoulder and into the mirror where she let off a shutter of excitement. It was like this dress was tailored to fit her, and she could wear it more than once – well, to more than one formal occasion. If she put a white leather jacket over top of it, it could be worn to something like a party  ( if she ever gets invited to one this  year ) , or the Valentine’s Day dance later on in the year. She wondered what Candy would be wearing, since they said they were going to match. It would be nice to see Candy in pink - she rarely wore the color, but if Anya was being honest, it didn’t completely match her style.

Julia’s hands covered her eyes before Anya’s body shivered in excitement. She was turned to face the mirror, before Julia removed her hands to show her what she looked like in the dress.

“Is this a dress you’d want your friends and family to see you in ?” Julia asked.

Anya’s answer was near immediate.

“Yes !!”

\---

“ _So, are we going to the after – party together_ ?”

Phoebe contemplated her answer back to Shane. 

The rumors she heard about what happened at an after – party were unsavory. Couples went to the backyard of one of the rich kids and set up tents for the night, and with a bunch of  hormone fueled teens, you could infer what happens next. Phoebe knew she was ready for  _ that  _ in particular, but in a dingy tent, with a bunch of people  around ? It didn’t seem like the right  _ time  _ or  _ place _ . She wanted it to be  _ special _ , but it was her first time – she didn’t exactly know how to make it special.  But, it wasn’t like in Taffeta or Tim and Jane’s bedroom was the right place either. She was sure the  Willoughbys would be pretty upset to know  _ that  _ happened in their house.

“ _ I don’t know _ ,” she responded. “ _ Do you want to go to the after –  _ _ party  _ ? ”

The door opened again as Phoebe gasped at the sight of what looked like a time bomb of blue fabric exploded through the door. She felt nervous goosebumps form along her body as she saw how full the skirt was and she instinctively grabbed at her stomach, in fear of how big the dress would make her look.

“It might look big now,” Lenore commented. “But it has a sinch waist corset that’ll push up your bust and flatten your waist so the biggest part of this dress would be your skirt.”

“I - If you say so,” Phoebe managed.

She wished Shane was here, he’d know the right thing to say.

She stepped into the dress after she took off the courtesy robe, and shut her eyes as Lenore lifted the dress over her body. It slipped on easy enough, but the real question was – how would she look once the dress was cinched around her  body ? It would suck to see that she would have to keep looking, as if she wasn’t already insecure about certain aspects of her body already.

She opened her eyes and let off a soft ‘Oh’. 

It . . . wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be.

The skirt of the dress hid her stomach, and while she found it a bit uncomfortable in a corset, she had a feeling she wouldn’t really feel it as the night went on and she was dancing and having fun with her friends.

She touched her chest, and then moved her hands to her stomach as she looked behind herself to see if the back looked as good as the front. She let off a laugh as the feeling set in that she looked like a modern – day Cinderella. This dress would definitely match the sparkly shoes and jewelry she had planned to wear for homecoming, and hopefully, it would go well with Shane’s outfit too.

She looked at Lenore and gave an appreciative smile.

“It’s really pretty,” Phoebe said. “I  _ feel  _ really pretty.”

“Do you want to go and show it off to your  family ? ” Lenore asked.

“I’d love to hear what my mom has to say about it,” Phoebe confirmed.

\---

“You guys went and got  milkshakes ? ” Taffeta asked.

She had decided to call Shane, just to pass the time, and he told her all about the things he and the guys had done. Shane getting a tuxedo tailored to his body and his liking was the only super important thing they had to do, but the men also indulged by getting suits for themselves – it was Kyle’s first suit, so it was a milestone for the kid. The rest of the time was spent on going to Buster Bronski’s, playing arcade games, eating loaded  nachos and sipping on milkshakes.

“No fair,” Taffeta pouted. “Aunt Ruth wants to take us to this fancy Brazilian grill place where they carry the food on skewers to your table and offer mocktails.”

“Your dad would love that place,” Shane teased. “Might remind him of the glory days.”

Taffeta felt an uneasy chill up her spine as she pushed back the vivid memory of what happened when she was a kid to the back of her mind, and the knowledge that she learned at dinner a few weeks ago.

“Not funny,” she said.

“ Sorry ? ” he apologized.

The door opened up and Taffeta watched as Holly entered the room.

“I  gotta let you go Shane,” she said. “My dress’ here.”

“See you later.”

Taffeta then hung up the phone and wheeled to face Holly.

“So, I pulled this black lace dress from the racks,” she explained. “You’re sure you want to go with pure  black ? I could always find like, a silver belt, or a gold shawl to go along with it, just to make the dress pop at your dance -”

“That’s what jewelry is for,” Taffeta insisted. “And I’m probably going to wear my jacket over top of it, I know how to accessorize. I have a mom that’s pretty good at it – she lives by the philosophy of, ‘You’re never fully dressed without earrings and eyeliner.’.”

“What a good philosophy to live by,” Holly agreed. “Sometimes it’s nice to look nice for yourself.”

“Even if other people  look ? ” Taffeta laughed.

“That’s just a bonus,” Holly claimed. “Do you need any help ?”

“Nah, I got it,” Taffeta reassured. “Contrary to popular belief, I can still walk, just a little bit, and not well – but it’s possible.”

“My sister was in an accident,” Holly claimed. “Broke her back, she’s paralyzed from the waist down.”

“A.L.S,” Taffeta responded. “I’ve used crutches since I was five, a wheelchair since I was twelve.”

“Oh, I’m sorry -”

“Nothing to be sorry about,” Taffeta reassured. “I’m doing well for myself; physical therapy, constant exercise, playing guitar, staying as active as I can. I’m not a vegetable, only slightly disabled.”

“I guess that’s a pretty good way to look at it,” Holly agreed.

She handed Taffeta the dress before Taffeta braced the arms of her wheelchair and stood, before she changed into the dress that Holly helped her zip up, before she sat back down in her chair and felt around the seat to see if any of the fabric caught in the seat, but all of the fabric clung to her body.

“Thank god,” Taffeta sighed.

“Now, do you think it looks good on you ?” Holly asked. 

Taffeta wheeled herself to face the mirror before she looked up and down her reflection. She thought about the jewelry she could wear, as well as the way she could do her hair, because she knew the dress was plain, but it was about how the  _ rest  _ of her looked, because she’d be sitting down for most of the night. She never really had the energy or ability to get up and dance well. She always looked like a baby deer when she stood, as her legs would tremble before her legs buckled under the weight of her upper body and she fell to the floor.

“This is exactly what I had in mind !!” Taffeta exclaimed.

“Good, good !!” Holly exclaimed. “Now, I’m sure your friends want to see how you look. Should we go and show  them ? ”

“We definitely should.”

\---

The party of women were getting their phones ready ( Well,  MacKenzie brought her polaroid camera so she could immediately put the pictures in a scrapbook when she got back home ), as the employees came out of the hallways that lead to the separate dressing rooms.

“Presenting, Miss Anya, in a blush pink, tulle fabric, knee length dress,” Julia announced.

Anya walked out onto the platform and spun to let all the women applaud her and gush over her appearances in the dress that seemed right out of a bubblegum, pop princess’ music video.

“Oh, your dad needs to see this !!” Bea exclaimed. “And Mamma, Poppop, your brothers -”

“Connor, Damien, and Hamish are not going to care,” Anya laughed. “They’re going to wonder why you texted them about dress shopping.”

“Because I’m their mom,” Bea pouted.

“And next we have Miss Phoebe, who is in a blush blue, sweetheart neckline, ballgown,” Lenore interjected.

Phoebe grabbed at her skirt as she walked out, and tried not to step on the giant, fluffy ballgown skirt, before she walked out to the platform and dropped the skirt down to her feet once again. She smiled at her mom, who smiled right back.

“So, mom,” Phoebe asked. “ Whattdya think ?”

“It’s very different for you,” Celeste pointed out. “But do you like it ?”

“I . . . I really feel like a princess,” Phoebe claimed. “I mean, I’ve always wanted to be one, ever since I was a kid, but now – nevermind, it’s stupid.”

“Well, you look like a princess,” Anya insisted. “You’re beautiful like one too – I mean, I always think you’re pretty, just . . . you’re pretty when you’re happy.”

Phoebe couldn’t quite put her finger on why, but that statement bothered her. Sure, she was very happily taken by Shane, and there was no way she was going to dump his sweet, dumb, cowboy face now, not that she wanted to. But, was the reason Anya didn’t like her before was because she didn’t seem happy  enough ? That didn’t seem . . .  _ fair _ .

“And here’s Taffeta in a black lace, thigh length dress,” Holly announced. “Simple, but chic.”

Taffeta wheeled up the ramp before she turned to face her momma.

“Now, before you say anything,” Taffeta started. “’You’re never fully dressed without earrings and eyeliner.’”

Jane felt a smile come to her face as she shook her head at Taffeta’s words. While she never really said it out loud, that was how she truly  felt. Even when she was at home all day, flipping through the T.V until she found something good to watch, she had on a bit of mascara and stud earrings.

“Now  _ that’s  _ a Willoughby woman motto if I’ve ever heard one.”


End file.
